The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) Order 2025

Made: 6th May 2025

Laid before Parliament: 8th May 2025

Coming into force: 29th May 2025

The Secretary of State makes this Order in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 59(1), (2)(a) and (3)(a), 60(1), 61(1) and 333(8) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990[^f00001].

Citation, commencement, extent and interpretation

1

• (1) This Order may be cited as the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) Order 2025.

• (2) This Order comes into force on 29th May 2025.

• (3) This Order extends to England and Wales.

• (4) In this Order, “the GPDO” means the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015[^f00002].

Amendment of Schedule 2 to the GPDO

2

Schedule 2 (permitted development rights) to the GPDO is amended in accordance with articles 3 to 6.

Amendment of Class D of Part 2 (electrical outlet for recharging vehicles)

3

In Part 2 (minor operations), in Class D (electrical outlet for recharging vehicles), in paragraph D.1 (development not permitted), omit sub-paragraph (b).

Amendment of Class E of Part 2 (electrical upstand for recharging vehicles)

4

• (1) Class E (electrical upstand for recharging vehicles) of Part 2 (minor operations) is amended as follows.

• (2) In the heading, after “upstand” insert “etc.”.

• (3) In paragraph E (permitted development)—

• (a) the existing text becomes sub-paragraph (1);

• (b) after sub-paragraph (1), insert—

(2) The installation, alteration or replacement, at ground level within a non-domestic area lawfully used for off-street parking, of— (a) equipment necessary for the operation of an upstand the installation of which would be permitted by this Class; (b) a unit of equipment housing for the storage of equipment necessary for the operation of an upstand the installation of which would be permitted by this Class.

• (4) In paragraph E.1 (development not permitted)—

• (a) the existing text becomes sub-paragraph (1);

• (b) in sub-paragraph (1)—

• (i) in the opening words, for “Class E” substitute “paragraph E(1)”;

• (ii) in paragraph (a)(ii), for “2.3 metres” substitute “2.7 metres”;

• (iii) omit sub-paragraph (b);

• (c) after sub-paragraph (1), insert—

(2) Development is not permitted by paragraph E(2)(a) if the equipment would not be contained within equipment housing the installation of which would be permitted by this Class. (3) Development is not permitted by paragraph E(2)(b) if— (a) it would result in there being more than 1 unit of equipment housing within a non-domestic area lawfully used for off-street parking; (b) the unit of equipment housing would— (i) have a volume exceeding 29 cubic metres; (ii) exceed 3 metres in height from the level of the surface used for the parking of vehicles; (iii) be within 5 metres of a highway; (iv) be within 10 metres of the curtilage of a dwellinghouse or block of flats; (v) be within a site designated as a scheduled monument; (vi) be within the curtilage of a listed building.

Amendment of Class G of Part 14 (air source heat pumps)

5

• (1) Class G (installation or alteration etc of air source heat pumps on domestic premises) of Part 14 (renewable energy) is amended as follows.

• (2) In paragraph G.1 (development not permitted - MCS Planning Standards), omit “or equivalent standards”.

• (3) In paragraph G.2 (development not permitted)—

• (a) in sub-paragraph (a), for the words from “more” to the end, substitute—

— (i) more than one air source heat pump on, or within the curtilage of— (aa) a dwellinghouse which is not a detached dwellinghouse; (bb) a block of flats; (ii) more than two air source heat pumps on, or within the curtilage of, a detached dwellinghouse;

• (b) in sub-paragraph (d), for “exceed 0.6 cubic metres” substitute—

— (i) in the case of the installation of an air source heat pump on, or within the curtilage of, a dwellinghouse, exceed 1.5 cubic metres; (ii) in the case of the installation of an air source heat pump on, or within the curtilage of, a block of flats, exceed 0.6 cubic metres;

• (c) omit sub-paragraph (e).

• (4) In paragraph G.3 (conditions)—

• (a) omit sub-paragraph (a);

• (b) before sub-paragraph (b), insert—

(aa) the air source heat pump is not solely used for the purpose of cooling;

Amendment of paragraph P of Part 14 (interpretation of Part 14)

6

In Part 14 (renewable energy), in paragraph P (interpretation of Part 14), in the definition of “MCS Planning Standards”—

• (a) for “(being MCS 007)” substitute “(being MCS 020 a) - Air Source Heat Pump Sound Calculation (For Permitted Development Installations))”[^f00003];

• (b) for “(being MCS 006)” substitute “(being MCS 020 b) - Wind Turbine Sound Calculation (For Permitted Development Installations))”[^f00004].

Transitional provision

7

• (1) Paragraph (2) applies where development (“previously permitted development”)—

• (a) is permitted under Class G of Part 14 of Schedule 2 to the GPDO immediately before 29th May 2025, and

• (b) is, by virtue of the amendment made by article 5(2), no longer permitted under that Class on and after 29th May 2025.

• (2) Where this paragraph applies, a developer may, despite the amendment made by article 5(2), carry out previously permitted development until the end of 28th May 2026.

Signed

Matthew Pennycook — Minister of State — Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government — 6th May 2025

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Order)

Explanatory Note

This instrument amends the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/596) (“the GPDO”). The GPDO provides, for the purposes of section 59 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (c. 8), for the granting of permission for certain classes of development without the requirement for a planning application to be made under Part 3 of that Act.

Article 3 amends Class D (electrical outlet for recharging vehicles) of Part 2 (minor operations) of Schedule 2 (permitted development rights) to the GPDO, omitting a circumstance in which development is not permitted.

Article 4 amends Class E (electrical upstand for recharging vehicles) of Part 2 of Schedule 2, adding, to the permitted development, equipment and equipment housing, and amending the circumstances in which development is not permitted.

Article 5 amends Class G (installation or alteration etc of air source heat pumps on domestic premises) of Part 14 (renewable energy) of Schedule 2, making changes to the circumstances in which development is not permitted and conditions.

Article 6 amends the definition of “MCS Planning Standards” in paragraph P (interpretation) of Part 14 of Schedule 2.

Article 7 makes transitional provision in relation to the amendment made by article 5(2) to Class G of Part 14 of Schedule 2.

Two impact assessments of the effect that this instrument will have on the costs of business, the voluntary sector and the public sector have been published at www.legislation.gov.uk. Copies may be inspected at the Planning Directorate, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1990 c. 8. Section 59(4) was inserted by paragraph 5 of Schedule 7 to the Planning (Wales) Act 2015 (anaw 4).

[^f00002]: S.I. 2015/596, amended by S.I. 2019/907; there are other amending instruments but none is relevant.

[^f00003]: Issue 1.1 dated 14th April 2025. An electronic copy can be found at: https://mcscertified.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/MCS-020-a-Issue-1.1-Final.pdf. A copy of the MCS Planning Standards may be inspected at the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, 55 Whitehall, London SW1A 2HP.

[^f00004]: Issue 1.0 dated 20th March 2025. An electronic copy can be found at: https://mcscertified.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/MCS-020-b-Issue-1.0-Final.pdf. A copy of the MCS Planning Standards may be inspected at the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, 55 Whitehall, London SW1A 2HP.

Editorial notes

[^key-53454d02163ab8d580e292c6ad7cd47a]: Art. 1 in force at 29.5.2025, see art. 1(2)

[^key-8633da9cfabe3f097a6d29bb6634142f]: Art. 2 in force at 29.5.2025, see art. 1(2)

[^key-14d72f5ff5a1438c700c4015c0422d89]: Art. 3 in force at 29.5.2025, see art. 1(2)

[^key-98bf2ea30d0ad860184504562c1af5b8]: Art. 4 in force at 29.5.2025, see art. 1(2)

[^key-7dad602d38347c40d9738dcac7076f0a]: Art. 5 in force at 29.5.2025, see art. 1(2)

[^key-fc3c00eefc2189d060947d2478f7d2c4]: Art. 6 in force at 29.5.2025, see art. 1(2)

[^key-b0838bc92cd513acc9c4ae075b7a8f18]: Art. 7 in force at 29.5.2025, see art. 1(2)