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Welsh tenant body leads call to change ‘outdated’ heat pump rules
TPAS Cymru has called on the Welsh government to remove planning red tape, claiming it is preventing tenants from accessing affordable, energy-efficient heating and delaying the nation’s net zero plans.
In a letter to first minister Eluned Morgan, the tenant voice organisation said the planning rules for heat pumps are “outdated”.
“Current regulations, such as the three-metre boundary rule, risk leaving tenants in colder homes with higher energy bills,” the letter said.
Air-source heat pumps – which absorb heat from the air – must not be installed within three metres of the boundary of a property to fall within permitted development rights.
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TPAS Cymru said the “complex” planning rules mean tenants in outdated homes are paying higher energy bills and risk missing out on grants from funds such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which covers part of the cost of replacing carbon heating systems with a heat pump.
The letter was co-signed by six other housing, energy and environmental organisations. These are: the Heat Pump Federation, the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Cymru, Nesta Cymru, the National Residential Landlords Association, Warm Wales, and Wales Environment Link.
The organisations have called for the three-metre rule to be abolished, the size limits for heat pumps to be adjusted to reflect new technology, and planning red tape to be removed.
David Wilton, chief executive of TPAS Cymru, said: “Planning barriers are not just an inconvenience – they are stopping tenants from living in warm, affordable and energy-efficient homes.
“We have heard from landlords who have had to file dozens of costly and time-consuming planning applications for heat pump installations, further delaying the decarbonisation of homes.”
In November, England abolished the rule that required air-source heat pumps to be installed at least one metre from a property’s boundary.
“These hurdles put Welsh tenants at a disadvantage, compared to England, where rules have been simplified. Wales cannot afford to leave tenants behind in the race to net zero,” added Mr Wilton.
A Welsh government spokesperson said: “Our heat strategy sets out how we will decarbonise Wales’ heating systems to deliver on our net zero commitments and support jobs and growth.
“We will issue a consultation on permitted development rights – including for air-source heat pumps – in early 2025, following consideration of new research on noise from air source heat pumps.”
Wales’ draft Budget, published on Tuesday, allocated £95m for decarbonising existing homes and £37.5m for warm homes.
Matt Dicks, national director of CIH Cymru, warned that despite the uplift in capital investment, “there is no significant increase in the amount allocated to improving and decarbonising our existing social homes”. Also, the figures are “unlikely to shift the dial enough” to fund the decarbonisation of existing stock.
The UK government’s latest update to its Warm Homes Plan added an extra £30m this financial year for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which delivers grants of £7,500 to make heat pumps more affordable.
The budget for this scheme has also been increased to £295m for 2025-26.
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