Air conditioning in Hammersmith and Fulham

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has 44 conservation areas, covering about half the borough. Residents search for "hammersmith and fulham air conditioning planning permission" because the answer depends on the house. On a terrace or semi, permitted development allows only one heat pump, and it must also be used for heating, sit within the size limit, avoid pitched roofs, be at least 1 metre from the edge of a flat roof, and pass the noise calculation. In a conservation area it must not be on a wall or roof facing the street. Many Fulham terraces meet those rules with a unit on a rear extension roof. Flats, cooling only units and listed houses need an application.

In a 5 metre wide Fulham garden, the nearest neighbour's window may be very close to any outdoor unit. The MCS 020 calculation used for permitted development works out the sound at 1 metre outside the neighbour's nearest habitable room window, and the limit is 37 dB(A). Distance, a solid wall or fence in the line of sight, and avoiding tight corners all bring the figure down. A spot tucked behind a solid garden wall often passes where an open position would not. We do this calculation at the survey.

Loft conversions with big rear dormers are the hottest rooms in most Fulham houses. Because a terrace only gets one outdoor unit under permitted development, a multi split is the usual answer for two or three bedrooms: one outdoor unit on the extension roof and pipes routed through the loft and down an internal wall. If you are about to convert a loft, running the pipes before the plaster goes on saves time and mess.

Along the river at Hammersmith and Fulham Reach, and around White City and Imperial Wharf, many homes are flats in newer blocks. These have building managers and leases that usually forbid external fixings without consent, and some have their own ventilation or cooling systems. For a hot flat in one of these blocks, start by asking the building manager what is permitted and whether there is a central system. If an outdoor unit is allowed, expect a licence and a planning application.