Air conditioning in Brent

Flats, terraces and interwar estates

In the 2021 Census, 38 per cent of Brent households lived in purpose-built flats and another 17 per cent in flats in a converted house. 22 per cent lived in a semi-detached house, 15 per cent in a terrace and 6 per cent in a detached house. 36 per cent rented privately.

The south of the borough is mostly Victorian and Edwardian. The council's appraisal describes Queen's Park as rows of two and three storey terraces with a few semi-detached villas, built on the site of the 1879 Royal Agricultural Show. Kilburn, Brondesbury, Mapesbury and Willesden have similar streets, many now split into flats.

The north is interwar. The council's Sudbury Court design guide says builders Comben & Wakeling had built more than 4,000 homes in Wembley by 1936, including the 1,500 homes of the Sudbury Court Estate, mostly semi-detached. Roe Green Village in Kingsbury was designed in 1916 for aircraft factory workers, in the Arts and Crafts style. Wembley Park and South Kilburn add thousands of new flats, and the council says South Kilburn's regeneration is creating 2,400 new homes.

What that means for your install

In a converted Victorian house, the freeholder and the other flat owners usually need to agree, and planning permission is often needed for an outdoor unit on a flat. A rear wall, a back-addition roof or the garden are the usual positions, with the pipes going straight through the wall behind the indoor unit.

In a new-build block, the managing agent usually controls the outside walls and balconies, and many blocks have rules on where an outdoor unit can go. Ask for the building's rules early. We give you drawings and noise data for the managing agent and any planning application.

An interwar semi in Sudbury, Kingsbury or Kenton usually has a rear wall or garden where one outdoor unit can run a multi-split cooling several bedrooms. Brent's guidance warns against putting heat pumps in narrow side returns, where noise bounces off the walls, so we usually choose the back.

Brent's guidance on heat pumps and cooling

Brent's Local Plan 2019 to 2041, adopted in February 2022, asks even minor developments to reduce overheating and reliance on air conditioning through good design. Policy DMP1 protects neighbours from noise and disturbance.

The Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD, in force since January 2025, says parts of Brent are some of the hottest places in the UK. It welcomes air source heat pumps but asks you to consider noise. It says units above ground floor level or in prominent places seen from the street, such as the front or side walls of your home, are generally unacceptable, and that pipework should be kept out of sight.

For an unlisted house, a heating-capable unit can often go in without planning permission under the national rules: one unit on a semi or terrace, two on a detached house, an outdoor unit up to 1.5 m³ and a noise level of 37 dB(A) or less at the neighbours' windows. A block of flats can have one unit up to 0.6 m³. Cooling-only units and listed buildings need consent. Our planning guide sets out every rule.

Brent's conservation areas

The council lists 22 conservation areas. Roe Green Village was the first, in 1968. After a review in 2024, Kensal Rise became a new conservation area, and the council has Article 4 directions in its residential conservation areas, including Brondesbury, Kensal Rise, Mapesbury, Queens Park and Willesden Green. Each area has a design guide, and the Mapesbury guide asks for mechanical equipment to go inside where possible because of noise and looks.

In parts of Alperton, Harlesden, Kensal Green, Stonebridge and Tokyngton, the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation is the planning authority instead of the council. We check which applies to your address.

• Queens Park, Kensal Green, Kensal Rise and Paddington Cemetery
• Kilburn, North Kilburn, South Kilburn and Brondesbury
• Mapesbury, Willesden Green and Harlesden
• Roe Green Village, Buck Lane and Lawns Court in Kingsbury
• Barn Hill, Northwick Circle, Mount Stewart and Sudbury Court
• Wembley High Street, St Andrews, Neasden Village and Homestead Park

Parking, Wembley event days and working hours

Brent has more than 40 controlled parking zones, with hours that vary from 10am to 3pm on some streets to 8am to 9pm, Sundays included, near Wembley. We check the signs before the visit.

Where we need a clear bay, Brent asks for at least 7 working days' notice. A suspension costs £67 per bay per day when booked 14 or more days ahead, with a £133 surcharge for shorter notice. A dispensation to park on a single yellow line is £38 per vehicle per day, for up to 4 hours. Any council fee is shown on your quote.

On Wembley Stadium event days, only residents and businesses with an event day permit can park in the event day zone, generally from 10am to midnight and from 8am on the main roads to the stadium. If you live near the stadium, we check the event calendar and plan your install day around it.

Brent's recommended hours for noisy building work are 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays, with none on Sundays or bank holidays. Brent is outside the Congestion Charge zone. The ULEZ covers all of London.

Air conditioning for Brent businesses

We fit wall units, ceiling cassettes and multi-room systems in offices, shops, restaurants and clinics in Wembley, Kilburn, Willesden and Harlesden, and in units around Park Royal and Neasden. We also service and repair existing systems in business hours. Outdoor units for business premises usually need planning permission. We provide sound data, drawings and siting for the application.

Prices in Brent

Our standard London prices. Home prices include VAT and business prices are plus VAT. Planning drawings, noise reports and long pipe runs are quoted after the survey.

• A bedroom or study

  2.5 kW wall unit, 5 m pipe, fitted in a day

  from£1,850inc. VAT

• A living room

  3.5 kW wall unit

  from£2,050inc. VAT

• Two rooms, one outdoor unit

  Multi-split

  from£3,650inc. VAT

• Three rooms

  Multi-split

  from£5,100inc. VAT

• Premium range upgrade

  Quieter, more efficient unit

  from£250inc. VAT

• Commercial wall unit

  Fitted in business hours

  from£1,795+ VAT

• An annual service

  Keeps the manufacturer warranty valid

  from£119inc. VAT

Neighbourhoods we cover

We work across the whole borough, including:

• Kilburn, Queen's Park and Brondesbury Park (NW6)
• Willesden, Harlesden, Kensal Green and Neasden (NW10)
• Dollis Hill, Cricklewood and Mapesbury (NW2)
• Wembley Park, Preston and Tokyngton (HA9)
• Wembley, Sudbury and Alperton (HA0)
• Kingsbury and the Brent side of Kenton (NW9, HA3)

Brent questions