Pipes & Heat in Old Cambridge

A reading site on water and heating in older Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire homes. Not a plumbing or heating firm.

Inside this site

Section front

Listed and conservation

For a listed building or conservation area, the council decides. These pages set out the published rules and when to ask the conservation officer first.

White thatched cottage with two chimneys behind a white picket fence and clipped hedges under blue sky.
A white thatched cottage behind a picket fence.
Start with

Listed building consent for boilers and heating

Listed building consent for a boiler depends on the building and the work. South Cambs' guidance says "Maybe" for services, so ask the conservation officer before you book anything, because unauthorised work can be a criminal offence.

Longer pieces

Heat pumps in a conservation area: the current rules

A heat pump in a conservation area can fall within permitted development, but not on a wall or roof fronting a highway, or nearer a bounding highway than the house. Listed buildings fall outside it. Ask planning first.

In brief

Part L in listed and conservation area homes

The Part L listed building exemption is not a blanket one. Homes that are listed, in a conservation area or scheduled must still comply where doing so would not unacceptably alter their character or appearance.

Conservation areas in Cambridge and South Cambs

Cambridge conservation areas number 18, all with appraisals. South Cambs has 85, of which 22 have appraisals. Greater Cambridge Planning covers both, so ask there what your address's status means for flues, pipes and pumps.

Radiators and new pipework in a listed building

Radiators in a listed building can need consent or not, depending on the room, the grade and the route of the pipes. South Cambs' guidance says "Maybe", so show the conservation officer your plan first.