Air Source Heat Pump - Planning permission required!

matt_drummer

My further reply

Dear Tom,

Just one more thing to clarify.

IBC say that they assess planning applications on their merits.

They have not assessed my application on its merits have they.

They only assessed it on one criteria, the fact that it failed the MCS noise test.

That is the only objection that IBC had to it, an objection they knew they would have before I applied.

They have not considered any benefits of my ASHP, they refused to grant panning permission solely on noise with that being the only reason I needed to apply in the first place!

I hope it is clear to you that they did not assess my application on its merits, those being the reduction in the amount of gas burnt in Ipswich and that the local residents were in favour of the installation, they assessed it entirely on the objection from the Environmental Protection Officer.

Regards,

Matthew.

matt_drummer

Dear Tom,

This is my exchange of emails with IBC for your information.

As you can see in the first email from Michael Cheong, he intended to object to my planning application based purely on failure of the MCS noise test.

No merits of the application were taken into consideration.

In the drawings prepared by Michael Cheong, he makes it look like there is a larger distance between my house and our neighbours garage than there actually is. The gap is only 1.25 metres.

The wall or fence he proposed would be 2 metres high and extend almost all of the way between our neighbours garage and our conservatory, it would have made our garden inaccessible from the side gate and it would be directly in front of our kitchen window.

I spoke with our neighbours and they would not be happy with the heat pump against their workshop wall.

The installation would have required pipes in the ground but we have drains in this area, and in any case the pipe run would have exceeded 10 metres to our hot water tank.

If there was any way possible for me to have accommodated this proposal I would have done it.

I think IBC's attitude is very clear from these exchanges, they are not going to allow any ASHP installation where the MCS noise limit is exceeded.

With that being the case, they could just simply state on their website that MCS noise test failure applications will not be accepted as their policy is to reject them.

The reason I wrote to you was not particularly about my case but more in general about what central government should be doing to make the installation of environmentally friendly heating solutions a viable option for more people.

It really isn't acceptable that my installation could be approved in Colchester or Norwich but rejected in Ipswich under the same circumstances.

It is your governments policy for us to install these heating sources but little seems to have been done about some of the practicalities.

As always, there's a lot of misinformation about new technologies in our media, in this case in regards to running costs and noise.

To put it into context, a quiet library is 40 dB, my heat pump at my neighbours window is 43 dB, they might hear a whisper with the window open, but with the window shut they will never hear it.

I have measured as many gas and oil boiler flues as I can, at 1 metre I got results of between 70 dB and 78 dB.

My heat pump at 1 metre is 62 dB.

Why do we have these planning laws around heat pumps but not around gas and oil boiler flues?

It doesn't make sense.

The planning laws do not fit with the governments objectives and targets on reducing emissions from burning fossil fuels.

Why didn't our government align planning laws in relation to the installation of heat pumps in all local authorities?

As it is now, homeowners around the country are at the mercy of the particular council officers making these decisions and it would seem that the outcome very much depends on the attitude to environmentally friendly heating sources and noise of the officers involved. Basically, it's a lottery.

Something needs to change, do you agree?

Regards,

Matthew.

ispookie666

@matt_drummer
I'm a bit lost!  Do you need PP, or do you not need PP?  

matt_drummer

I need planning permission to have the heat pump at the back of the house, in my back garden, but will never get it as things currently stand.

I don't need planning permission to put it on the front of my house.

I could put it 3 meters in the air at the back of my house without planning permission as I would pass the MCS noise test whereas on the ground in the same place it won't pass. It is to do with the MCS noise test and the number of reflective surfaces. On the ground I have three reflective surfaces, in the air only one. This affects the calculation enough to make it pass.

It would appear that Ipswich Borough Council will object to any installation that fails the MCS noise test, it will not be allowed.

I also get the impression that a complaint against an MCS noise test compliant installation could result in an order to remove or modify the installation.

IBC are not happy with the MCS noise limit and would prefer installations to meet the more stringent IOA/CIEH limits.


I have updated the thread with details of my exchange with the local MP.

I would still prefer the heat pump at the rear of our house.


@ispookie666 What noise levels did your council approve your installation at?  I got the impression somewhere that your council approved a level greater than 42 dB  allowed by the MCS test?

matelodave

Saw this today and thought of you 

matt_drummer

That looks pretty close to a bedroom window.

Not much consideration seems to have been given to the neighbours with that installation!

matelodave

The window you can see is at the end of the garden so well away from the unit but the next door neighbour's wall is less than a metre from it and probably quite close to his bathroom window.

I'd doubt than anyone asked for planning permission when it was installed. Not sure when the noise level limits were introduced

I didn't need it (I did check) as ASHP were considered permitted development in 2010 when I had my 11kw unit installed and as its 6m from my fence probably wouldn't need it anyway, even now.

My neighbour on the side where the heatpump is situated is at least 30 metres away. although there's the possibility that something might get built in the gap at sometime in the future, but that's an issue for another day

matt_drummer

The window that causes my issue is well away from my proposed location. That one looks closer in the photograph.

It only has one reflective surface within one etre so the MCS noise calculation is easier to comply with.

I could have done that with mine if I had been happy with it and Octopus would have done it, they wouldn't.

But, I suspect I still could have run into problems later, complying with the MCS noise test was not really enough for Ipswich Borough Council.

If I had installed my heat pump on the wall like that and a neighbour complained I think they would make me move it.

Bathroom windows are not an issue.

Bedroom windows on the house next door could well be a problem looking at that picture.

But it depends on the installer and how vigilant they were in applying the MCS noise test.

matt_drummer

My heat pump is installed and working perfectly.

It has been running flat out today to heat the hot water and test the heating.

The only way we could tell it was running was to stand in front of it to feel the air flow, it's inaudible during the day.

Of course, it's a warm day so it doesn't have to work so hard.

IBC have got it completely wrong in my opinion.

Now it has been installed I am actually happy with the location, it's probably better than my original proposal so we are happy.

The install has generated quite a lot of local interest, all of it positive.

Why heat pumps are painted as noisy and expensive I will never know.

Our really rubbish hot water system has been upgraded and our gas supply has been removed. Our airing cupboard is now a work of art!

IBC need to reconsider their attitude towards ASHP's for the sake of the town.

Reed_Richards

matt_drummer said:

IBC have got it completely wrong in my opinion.

Why don't you invite the officer who was going to object to the previous intended placement to view and hear the finished installation?