Do I need planning permission for air conditioning?
Check your postcode against the government's official planning data, answer four quick questions, and see how the current rules apply to your home. Free, and nothing is stored.
About the checker
Where does the data come from?
Your postcode's centre point comes from postcodes.io (Office for National Statistics data). Conservation areas, World Heritage Sites, Article 4 directions and the planning authority come from planning.data.gov.uk, the government's open planning data service. The rules are Class G of Part 14 of the General Permitted Development Order, as changed on 29 May 2025.
Is the result a planning decision?
No. It's guidance based on official data and what you tell us. Not every council publishes all its data yet, and a postcode can cover more than one street. Only the council can decide, for example by granting a Lawful Development Certificate.
Do you store my postcode?
No. The check runs in your browser and goes straight to the two public data services. Nothing is sent to us unless you go on to ask for a quote.
What if the checker says I need planning permission?
Often a different position for the outdoor unit, such as a back or side wall at ground level, or one multi-split outdoor unit instead of two, brings it back within the rules. We look at the options on a free survey. If you do need to apply, we give you the drawings details and the manufacturer's sound data for the application.
Does this work for flats?
Yes, for the planning side: a block of flats can have one heat pump with an outdoor unit up to 0.6 m³. You'll almost always need the freeholder's written consent too, whatever the planning position.