Air conditioning in Elstree
We install, service and repair air conditioning in Elstree, the old village on Watling Street. Most of it is a conservation area with 14 listed buildings and two sets of Article 4 houses, so where the outdoor unit goes matters more here than in most of Hertsmere. Here's how we approach it.
- conservation area designated
- 1976
- listed buildings in it
- 14
- single room, from
- £1,850
- annual service, from
- £119
Hertsmere in official figures
- households (2021 Census)
- 42,682
- live in a flat
- 28 in 100
- live in a house
- 71 in 100
- listed building entries
- 321
Of 42,682 households in the 2021 Census, 71 in 100 lived in a house (19 detached, 32 semi-detached, 20 terraced) and 28 in 100 in a flat. Most installs here are on houses, where a back or side wall is usually the simplest place for the outdoor unit.
In a conservation area an outdoor unit can't go on a wall or roof facing a road without planning permission, and an Article 4 direction can remove permitted development rights altogether. Check your postcode to see whether either applies to your street.
Figures for the whole Hertsmere council area. Sources: ONS Census 2021, table TS044 (accommodation type); Historic England's National Heritage List entries within the council boundary, through planning.data.gov.uk (one entry can cover several buildings). Checked October 2026.
Elstree is the village, not the studios
Elstree Studios, the BBC's Elstree Centre and Sky Studios Elstree are all in Borehamwood, and so is Elstree & Borehamwood station. Elstree itself is the small village to the south-west, at the crossroads of Watling Street (the A5183) and Barnet Lane and Watford Road (the A411). Both share the WD6 postcode, and Elstree parish included the whole of Borehamwood until 1909.
Hertsmere's 2014 appraisal describes a village on high ground, about 140 m above sea level, surrounded by Green Belt countryside and kept just separate from Bushey and Borehamwood. Watling Street brought Roman traffic, then pilgrims to St Albans Abbey, then coaches: six inns traded here in the 18th century, including the Holly Bush and the Plough. Until 1993 the southern half of the village was in Middlesex, split between the London Boroughs of Barnet and Harrow, which is why some of its planning history comes from Barnet.
Elstree homes and what they mean for an install
| Type of home | Where | What it means for the install |
|---|---|---|
| Timber-framed and Georgian houses, many listed | High Street, both sides of the crossroads | Listed building consent for any unit or pipe hole. Often a rear ground pad with a carefully routed pipe run, or a floor console inside. |
| Arts and Crafts cottages from about 1890 | Elstree Hill North and the High Street, built for the first Lord Aldenham | Conservation area, some under Article 4. A rear or side position out of sight of the road is the usual answer. |
| Victorian and Edwardian villas in big gardens | Barnet Lane, Summer Grove, Elstree Hill South and Fortune Lane | Plenty of room for a ground pad at the back, out of view. Detached houses can have two heat pumps if each meets the limits. |
| Newer houses and flats | Small modern closes behind the High Street, and the estate to the south-west | The south-west estate is outside the conservation area. Flats need the freeholder's consent and one heat pump per block. |
The Elstree Village conservation area
The conservation area was first designated in August 1976, by Hertsmere and the London Boroughs of Barnet and Harrow together, as the village then straddled the county boundary. Hertsmere extended it in 1979 along the north side of Barnet Lane and reviewed it again in 2014. It covers most of the village, but not the modern housing to the south-west or the Centennial Park business park.
The appraisal counts 14 listed buildings. The Holly Bush, a hall house of about 1450, is the only grade II* building in the village; the rest, including St Nicholas Church, Schopwick Place, Hill House and the almshouses, are grade II. It also names 19 locally important buildings, and it singles out aerials, satellite dishes, burglar alarms on main walls and prominent boiler flues as things that spoil the village. An outdoor unit on a front wall would be judged the same way.
Inside a conservation area, permitted development doesn't allow a heat pump on a wall or roof that fronts a road, or nearer a road that borders the property than the house itself. In Elstree that rules out most front and many side walls, so we start every survey with the back of the house.
Article 4 directions in Elstree
Hertsmere lists two Article 4 directions in the village. Neither names heat pumps, but both take away rights over the fronts of these houses, so ask the council before you fit anything there.
| Houses | Made | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
| The ten 1886 villas on Summer Grove, and The Haven, The Garth, Brightwell and County Corner on Barnet Lane | 1987, made by the London Borough of Barnet, as this side of the village was in Barnet until 1993 | Extensions and alterations, porches, hardstanding, oil tanks, gates, fences and walls, and painting the outside |
| 5 to 15 Elstree Hill North and St Mary's Croft on Fortune Lane | December 2014, confirmed April 2015, by Hertsmere | Changes facing a road, waterway or open space: alterations, new windows and doors, roofs, porches, hard surfaces, chimneys, dishes and walls |
Each direction's own schedule decides what it covers. We read it for your address before we quote.
Planning: Hertsmere Borough Council
Planning in Elstree is handled by Hertsmere Borough Council. A heating-capable outdoor unit on a house can be permitted development if it is not used only for cooling, is no bigger than 1.5 m³ and passes the MCS 020(a) noise check of 37 dB(A) at neighbours' windows. Listed buildings always need listed building consent, and a unit facing the road in the conservation area needs planning permission. Our planning guide sets out the rest.
Aldenham House to the north-west, now Haberdashers' school, is grade II*, and its registered park and garden overlaps the conservation area west of Elstree Hill North. The Leys on Barnet Lane, a 1901 house by George Walton, is grade II* too. If your home is in or beside either, the setting of the listed building is part of the council's decision.
Around the village
West of the village is Aldenham Reservoir, dug in the 1790s, the council's appraisal says by Napoleonic prisoners of war, to feed the Grand Junction Canal. Aldenham Country Park surrounds it. Elstree Aerodrome is nearby too, and Hertsmere consults its licensee on some planning applications in a safeguarding zone around it.
The council's appraisal notes the heavy traffic through the village, and the oldest cottages on the High Street open straight onto the pavement. Tell us when you book so we can plan where the van stops while we unload the outdoor unit.
What air conditioning costs in Elstree
Our starting prices are the same here as across Hertfordshire and London. Home prices include VAT. Planning or listed building fees are separate and are the council's. The survey gives you a fixed written price.
- from£1,850inc. VAT
A bedroom or study
2.5 kW wall unit, 5 m pipe, fitted in a day
- from£2,050inc. VAT
A living room
3.5 kW wall unit
- from£3,650inc. VAT
Two rooms, one outdoor unit
Multi-split
- from£5,100inc. VAT
Three rooms
Multi-split
- from£2,350inc. VAT
Floor-standing unit
2.5 kW console
- from£250inc. VAT
Premium range upgrade
Quieter, more efficient unit
- from£119inc. VAT
An annual service
Keeps the manufacturer warranty valid
Areas and postcodes we cover
We cover the whole village and the lanes around it, including:
- WD6: Elstree village, Elstree Hill North and South, Barnet Lane, Summer Grove and Fortune Lane
- WD6: Borehamwood, which has its own page
- Nearby: Bushey, Radlett, Shenley and the London Borough of Barnet
Elstree questions
Do I need planning permission for air conditioning in Elstree?
Often, if the unit would face a road. Most of the village is a conservation area, where permitted development doesn't cover a heat pump on a wall or roof fronting a road. A heating-capable unit at the back that meets the size and noise limits usually is permitted development. Listed buildings always need consent. Applications go to Hertsmere Borough Council.
My house is on Summer Grove. Can I have air conditioning?
Very likely, at the back. The 1987 Article 4 direction on Summer Grove covers extensions, porches, hardstanding, fences, access and painting the outside. It doesn't name heat pumps, but ask Hertsmere before fitting anything, and keep the outdoor unit off the front. A wall bracket or ground pad at the back, out of view, usually works.
I own a listed cottage on the High Street. What's involved?
Listed building consent first, because drilling a pipe hole alters the building. We survey for a route that avoids old timber framing and brickwork, often a rear ground pad, and give you the drawings and noise data for the application. A floor-standing console from £2,350 including VAT can suit rooms where a wall unit would look wrong.
Are Elstree Studios in Elstree?
No. Elstree Studios on Shenley Road, the BBC's Elstree Centre and Sky Studios Elstree are all in Borehamwood, as is Elstree & Borehamwood station. Elstree is the village to the south-west, on Watling Street. We cover both, and Borehamwood has its own page.
How much does air conditioning cost for an Elstree villa?
A single bedroom starts from £1,850 including VAT, and two rooms on one outdoor unit from £3,650. Three rooms start from £5,100. Larger villas often suit a multi-split with the outdoor unit at the end of the garden, out of sight of the road.
Do you service and repair systems in Elstree?
Yes. An annual service starts at £119 including VAT, and we repair most brands, whoever fitted them. We confirm the cost of the repair visit when you book. Surveys and visits are booked at least a week ahead.