Air Source Heat Pump - Planning permission required!

MattMattMattUK

I agree that it is down to our glorious leaders, but there is no reason for them to change, it only impacts little people. Local councils also love their fiefdoms, if you want an example of how intransigent they can be see the issue with Jeremy Clarkson's farm shop and restaurant, the only farm in the history of planning legislation refused planning permission for a farm track, I think one of them might have even admitted that he denied planning because he did not like Clarkson. 

So much of our planning legislation does not make sense and much of it is not fit for purpose, but until it becomes an electoral issue it will not change. 

matt_drummer

I just had a call from a noise assessor, she told me that there had been a change in regulations and that every ASHP now requires planning permission and a noise assessment.
When I questioned it she said that regulations change all the time and it depended on the local authority.

She also told me that even gas boiler flues are noisy and that is why she has her flue on an external wall!

Prices started at £1,500, but it depends upon on the level of work involved (?) and they are doing 7 or 8 of these a day, apparently they are very popular in some parts of the country!

MultiFuelBurner

MattMattMattUK said:

I agree that it is down to our glorious leaders, but there is no reason for them to change, it only impacts little people. Local councils also love their fiefdoms, if you want an example of how intransigent they can be see the issue with Jeremy Clarkson's farm shop and restaurant, the only farm in the history of planning legislation refused planning permission for a farm track, I think one of them might have even admitted that he denied planning because he did not like Clarkson. 

So much of our planning legislation does not make sense and much of it is not fit for purpose, but until it becomes an electoral issue it will not change. 

As I recall it that was karma for all the things he said about the local villagers in season 1. What started off with Clarkson being Clarkson and taking the pee out of everyone ended up ruining everything he wanted to do in season 2.

The council and local.villagers were wrong of course but this was their revenge.

TheElectricCow

matt_drummer said:

What it looks like is irrelevant, but it would seem that they could deny planning permission if they don't like what it looks like, or maybe if my neighbours don't like the look of it.

There was a long thread on this site a few years ago about a couple who's view of the world had been destroyed by a neighbours air conditioning unit that was visible from every window of their house, if I remember, the wife was in tears over it!

I find it incredible that people are able to get themselves so worked up by such things as what their neighbours house looks like even at something as inoffensive as an air con unit. 

It makes me very thankful that we don’t have the American style “Home Owners Associations” here where your neighbours can seemingly dictate things like how and when you should cut the grass, whether you can park a car in your driveway, or stop you from building a fence over 4ft high - and to top it off they pay get to pay a pretty hefty monthly fee for the privilege!

Some planning permission rules here do feel a bit too similar to that system for comfort, but at least to a much lesser extent. I would hope that no one would be unnecessarily prevented from installing a heat pump without good reason, but that would require a certain degree of faith in the running of local councils that I simply don’t have.

Seems like the obvious solution would be for people to just mind their own business, but that may prove far too difficult for some.

matt_drummer

TheElectricCow said:

Some planning permission rules here do feel a bit too similar to that system for comfort, but at least to a much lesser extent. I would hope that no one would be unnecessarily prevented from installing a heat pump without good reason, but that would require a certain degree of faith in the running of local councils that I simply don’t have.

Seems like the obvious solution would be for people to just mind their own business, but that may prove far too difficult for some.

I don't actually have a problem with it.

I don't want to upset my neighbours or distress them in any way.

But, just make the process simple and achievable without spending thousands of pounds.

Although my neighbour might have to listen to my heat pump (maybe when it's really, really cold and they have their window open) they will no longer have to listen to my gas boiler (which is in the same place) and actually noisier than the heat pump I would like to replace it with!

Also, the house is so well insulated, I suspect it will never even turn on at night, our gas boiler never does, when the temperature is set back overnight just as it is now.

Even when it was -10c here for a few days, the house only cooled by 4c between 21.00 and 06.00, not enough for the boiler to come on. The heat pump will be no different as our heat loss won't change.

I have sent them a plan of the house and the area, they can see where the heat pump is going and where the neighbours window is. The council office is 1/2 a mile away, just come and look. They''ll even know where it is and how noisy it is here.

This is about protecting themselves from future claims that they haven't followed the correct procedures.

Alnat1

If the government want us to install ASHPs and are even paying towards us doing it, there really shouldn't be any planning permission needed.

matt_drummer

Alnat1 said:

If the government want us to install ASHPs and are even paying towards us doing it, there really shouldn't be any planning permission needed.

It's the same as any myth, they're really noisy and will ruin people's lives. We read it all the time about all sorts of things.

It's not true of course.

The reality is that I will have spent close to £50,000 on reducing this house's annual energy consumption from 20,000Kwh to zero.

But, Ipswich Borough Council want to know what it will look like!

If I was the local authority I would be really happy and supportive of 15,000Kwh of gas not being burnt each year in the town centre.

Mstty

Our 8 year old heat pump is noisier year on year even with servicing. Wonder what the noise creep is. 

However both next door neighbours have heat pumps and the ones behind have GSHP. 

I wonder if the neighbours opposite can hear a loud background hum. An orchestra of heat pumps.

matt_drummer

Mstty said:

Our 8 year old heat pump is noisier year on year even with servicing. Wonder what the noise creep is. 

However both next door neighbours have heat pumps and the ones behind have GSHP. 

I wonder if the neighbours opposite can hear a loud background hum. An orchestra of heat pumps.

Obviously there is a noise, but it is a choice that our government have made, a small amount of noise pollution in return for a reduction in harmful emissions.

As is so often true, you can't have your cake and eat it, something our government does not understand.

If our local authority were that bothered about noise they would do something about the quite astonishing number of cars that drive around here with what are clearly illegal exhaust systems and speeds.

As an motor racing enthusiast, many of the cars that drive close to our house wouldn't pass the noise tests at motor racing circuits in this country!

matt_drummer

Mstty said:

Our 8 year old heat pump is noisier year on year even with servicing. Wonder what the noise creep is. 

However both next door neighbours have heat pumps and the ones behind have GSHP. 

I wonder if the neighbours opposite can hear a loud background hum. An orchestra of heat pumps.

I measured the noise from a 19 year old Hitachi 8Kw heat pump yesterday, at one metre it was 58dB