Air conditioning in Bromley

Houses with room for an outdoor unit

In the 2021 Census, 18 per cent of Bromley households lived in a detached house and 30 per cent in a semi-detached house. Across London the figures were 6 and 19 per cent. The Local Plan describes housing ranging from the older, denser streets around Penge to spacious detached houses near Farnborough and Keston.

That matters for air conditioning. A detached or semi-detached house usually has a side passage or rear wall where an outdoor unit sits out of view and away from the neighbours. One outdoor unit can then run a multi-split serving three or four bedrooms, a good fit for family houses in places like Petts Wood, Bickley, West Wickham and Hayes.

In Penge, Anerley and parts of Beckenham, terraces and converted flats are more common. There we look at rear gardens, back-addition walls and flat roofs, and freeholder consent for flats.

Bromley's noise rule for outdoor units

Bromley is unusually specific about noise. Local Plan Policy 119 says a new noise source should, in most cases, be 10 dB below the typical background (LA90) level at the nearest sensitive receptor. The council's Noise Technical Guidance asks for fixed plant to be designed to the same target, assessed under BS 4142. The Local Plan names air conditioning plant as one of the borough's main commercial noise problems.

That's a tighter target than many boroughs set. In quiet residential streets the background level at night can be low, so the margin is small. We choose quiet outdoor units, keep them away from neighbours' windows and fit anti-vibration mounts. Where planning is needed, we provide the noise data.

Planning in Bromley

The council says Bromley has 47 conservation areas. On top of that, Local Plan Policy 44 designates 13 Areas of Special Residential Character (ASRCs), including Petts Wood, Bickley, Park Langley and Chelsfield Park, where new work must respect the area's character.

Bromley has many Article 4 directions, mostly about roofs, upward extensions, front boundaries and change of use. In the Alexandra Cottages conservation area in Penge, the direction removes rights for alterations to a house that front a road, waterway or open space. The Petts Wood ASRC direction covers roof alterations. None we read mentions air conditioning or heat pumps.

For an unlisted house outside these special cases, a heating-capable unit can often go in without planning permission, subject to the national size, position and noise limits. Our planning guide explains those rules. Pre-application advice from the council for householders costs £250.

• Chislehurst and Mavelstone Road, Bickley
• Beckenham Town Centre, Park Langley, Southend Road and Downs Hill
• Bromley Town Centre, Sundridge Avenue and Bromley Common
• The Chenies, Station Square and Chislehurst Road in Petts Wood
• Shortlands, Hayes Village and Keston Village
• Farnborough Village, Farnborough Park, Downe and Chelsfield
• Alexandra Cottages and Penge High Street

Parking and access for engineers

Controlled parking zones cover Bromley town centre, Beckenham, Chislehurst, Orpington, Petts Wood, Penge and several other centres.

Where we need a clear space in a CPZ, Bromley needs at least three working days' notice for a bay suspension. It costs £40 per bay per day plus a £30 admin fee. To park on a yellow line while working, a dispensation is £40 per vehicle per week with one working day's notice. Red routes are run by TfL, not the council.

Bromley's hours for noisy building work are 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays, with none on Sundays or bank holidays.

Prices in Bromley

Standard prices for a home install. Most Bromley houses suit a multi-split, so we've included those. Long pipe runs and loft access 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

• Four rooms

  Multi-split

  from£6,500inc. VAT

• An annual service

  Keeps the manufacturer warranty valid

  from£119inc. VAT

Neighbourhoods we cover

We work across the borough, including:

• Bromley, Shortlands and Bickley
• Beckenham, Elmers End, Eden Park and Park Langley
• Penge and Anerley
• Chislehurst and Mottingham
• Orpington, Petts Wood and Green Street Green
• St Mary Cray, St Paul's Cray and Chelsfield
• West Wickham, Hayes and Keston
• Farnborough, Downe and Biggin Hill

Bromley questions