Air Source Heat Pump - Planning permission required!

matt_drummer

ispookie666 said:

I don't think the planning rules should be relaxed; this can significantly increase inconsiderate installations.  

My installation is considerate, I spoke to my neighbours and they wholeheartedly support what I want to do, I support it and Octopus Energy support it.

The only person who doesn't support it, a person who doesn't live here, is the Environmental Protection Officer from Ipswich Borough Council.

Who is he protecting?

It's not as if I am trying to do something that my neighbours don't want.

matt_drummer

ispookie666 said:

The permitted development rights for the front of the house is another grey area the councils can interpret as they wish!  You might need to site the outdoor unit to the side of the house, away from the front elevation. 

I can't site it to the side of my house, it is within 1 meter of my boundary and would require planning permission. If I could have put it on the side of my house I already would have done, then I wouldn't have this issue. There is not space on either side of my house for a heat pump, one side goes right to the boundary and the other side has enough room for a path. I only have the front or the rear of my house available, and that is what is causing me problems.

I am not being unreasonable or inconsiderate, I am limited in choices of where to put the heat pump, it's either under my kitchen window at ground level (which fails the MCS noise test), above my kitchen window (which would pass the MCS noise test but I feel it would be bad for my neighbour as it would be directly inline with their bedroom window) or the front of the house.

The front of the house is not a grey area, it is permitted development as long it is at least one meter from my boundary and no higher than first floor level, there is absolutely nothing grey about it.

Ipswich Borough Council are sticking to the rules and regulations, if it is not compliant with all of the rules, they will object. Other councils have taken a different view with regard to noise.

matt_drummer

Looking for quieter alternatives

The Vaillaint 10Kw aroTHERM plus is 60dB but its huge (1.565 metres high), it will cover half our kitchen window and I will still need planning permission for it as it is more 0.60 cubic metres. (1.565 x 1.100 x 0.449 = 0.77295 cubic metres)

Mitsubishi looks good, I don't know anybody who'll fir me one though.


Anybody know an installer that will work in Ipswich?

Mstty

Mitsubishi list their install and maintenance providers and those which are diamond partners etc

matt_drummer

Thanks.

I'm sure I have been to some before.

I will try tomorrow.

Reed_Richards

ispookie666 said:

The permitted development rights for the front of the house is another grey area the councils can interpret as they wish!  

I don't see that the council have any grounds to object unless you are in a conservation area or similar.

I have a 12 kW heat pump and it meets the volume requitements.  It's an LG Therma V.

born_again

matt_drummer said:

born_again said:

Odd on council not liking it?

Just shield it with some plants 👍

Odd in what way?

I don't think they have any complaints on it being on the front of the house in plain view of everybody.

They are only concerned about anybody hearing it, and if it's in my back garden they have some concerns over its appearance from my neighbours point of view.

Sorry.. 🤬
What a difference missing a "S" makes. Should have been "Odd's on council not liking it?

matt_drummer

Reed_Richards said:

ispookie666 said:

The permitted development rights for the front of the house is another grey area the councils can interpret as they wish!  

I don't see that the council have any grounds to object unless you are in a conservation area or similar.

I have a 12 kW heat pump and it meets the volume requitements.  It's an LG Therma V.

They don't have any grounds to object now, we are definately not in a conservation area.

The Environmental Protection Officer is now very happy, not only do we meet the MCS noise standard, we are also under the more stringent (and in his words, more appropriate) CIEH/IOA criteria.

Reed_Richards

In my village they knocked down the old defunct pub and squeezed two houses onto the lot it had occupied.  Both of these have the same model of ASHP, facing the road and only about two metres from the front boundary.  The asking price for each house was very high but they both sold, so no indication that a highly visible ASHP is an off-putting factor.     

matt_drummer

Reed_Richards said:

In my village they knocked down the old defunct pub and squeezed two houses onto the lot it had occupied.  Both of these have the same model of ASHP, facing the road and only about two metres from the front boundary.  The asking price for each house was very high but they both sold, so no indication that a highly visible ASHP is an off-putting factor.     

That's good.

I think an ASHP at the front of our house will have minimal effect on the value of our house, it's like living next to Paddock Hill bend or Druids at times!

The heat pump can be obscured by some well thought out planting in the area, it will look nicer than it does now.

I think it's a good solution, we won't have the heat pump in the back garden, no chance of upsetting any neighbours and the install will be slightly easier.

Also, now, having gone to all this effort, there should be no chance of any trouble with Ipswich Borough Council in the future, they have given it the green light, it would be tough to go back on that.

On reflection, this is probably the best outcome. Had I placed a `quieter' heat pump in my originally proposed location I could have ended up with problems in the future, now I won't.