Baxi has responded to the changes to permitted development rights for air source heat pumps (ASHP) in England, which came into force on 29 May 2025.
The new changes were announced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) last November.
According to a company statement, heat pumps are one of the key technologies expected to help decarbonise heating in the UK. It added that industry and government have been collaborating to help identify and resolve barriers to deployment of heat pumps. Baxi said this important step will make heat pump installations simpler, cutting red tape in the vast majority of situations.
Relevant legislation has been made in The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) Order 2025.
Key changes which will now fall under permitted development include:
- ASHP can be installed within 1m of a property boundary
- The size limit of the ASHP has increased from 0.6m3 to 1.5m3 for dwellings
- Two ASHPs are permitted for detached dwellings
- ASHPs can also be used for cooling, meaning air-air heat pumps can now also benefit from PDR.
The legislation makes reference to the recently updated Microgeneration Certification Scheme Planning Standard (MCS 020 a) for the Air Source Heat Pump Sound Calculation.
Jeff House, director of external affairs and policy at Baxi, said: “This is a good positive step and something we have been pushing for through the Heat Pump Association for some time. As we look forward to the unveiling of the Warm Homes Plan we hope that other barriers to heat pump deployment, such as the spark gap, are addressed in short order.”