@jamespa 

Which appears to be completely at variance with any other report or the press release.   Is there any evidence at all that noise restrictions are to be relaxed?

Noise restrictions are not relaxed.

All installations have to comply with MCS Noise Planning Standard 020 to be eligible under permitted development rules.

Indeed, it's scaremongering.  The same outlet also ran a headline predicting civil unrest as a result of the changes.

@jamespa 

Which appears to be completely at variance with any other report or the press release.   Is there any evidence at all that noise restrictions are to be relaxed?

Noise restrictions are not relaxed.

All installations have to comply with MCS Noise Planning Standard 020 to be eligible under permitted development rules.

"The changes, which are being made by MHCLG early next year, will amend the existing permitted development right to:

• Remove the 1m boundary rule, enabling heat pumps to be installed within 1m of the property boundary.
• Increase the size limit of the heat pump for dwellinghouses from 0.6m3 to 1.5m3.
• Double the number of heat pumps permitted, from one to two for detached dwelling houses.
• Support the rollout of air-to-air heat pumps that can also provide a cooling function.

The permitted development right will continue to require that installations are compliant with the relevant Microgeneration Certification Scheme Planning Standards."

This is close to what was consulted on earlier in the year but still doesn't really deal with flats (probably because that needs more thought!).  It will be interesting to see what 'Support the rollout of air-to-air heat pumps that can also provide a cooling function' means.  The current PD rights don't actually exclude units capable of cooling from being fitted under PD, they only exclude them being used for cooling.  The sentence in italics seems potentially like a bit of muddle headed thinking, doubtless due to some unbalanced input from the industry.

However in general this seems to me like a good package to me, correcting most, but not all, of the practical limitations with the current PD rules without (contrary to some fear mongering reports in the media) relaxing rules on noise (unless the two heat pump option has that effect, which it could but equally likely may well not depending on how it is drafted)

This will allow fitting a smaller air to water one  keeping a house continuously at say 18C, being more efficient during shoulder season with air to air boosting the main living area to more for shorter periods of the day. That’s closer to the two periods of heating that many people use with a gas boiler.

The only way that could be inferred is due to the 1m rule changing and the rule around two heat pumps impacting neighbours 

The relaxation of the 1m rule has the potential to reduce noise, because it becomes possible to site ( or take advantage of) barriers more flexibly.  My own house is a case in point where one of the best locations from a noise perspective is closer to the boundary than the poorer location (from a noise perspective) that I am forced to choose.

The two heat pump revision is interesting, the devil will be in the detail I guess.

'Government to relax noise restrictions on heat pumps for net zero'

Which appears to be completely at variance with any other report or the press release.   Is there any evidence at all that noise restrictions are to be relaxed?

"

No evidence that noise restrictions are being relaxed. It is difficult to know exactly what the Telegraph were briefed. It is not unusual for newspapers to be briefed in advance. The Telegraph article appeared before the actual original announcement appeared on the government website.

The follow up blog came even later.

The only way that could be inferred is due to the 1m rule changing and the rule around two heat pumps impacting neighbours 

'Government to relax noise restrictions on heat pumps for net zero'

Which appears to be completely at variance with any other report or the press release.   Is there any evidence at all that noise restrictions are to be relaxed?

"

Be interesting to see if we now see more efficient heat pumps. The industry has been asking for an increase in the dimensions to enable them to manufacture more efficient heat pumps.

Also be interesting to see how air to air pumps are supported in the boiler upgrade scheme.

We could see some dramatic changes to what is on offer next year. The changes won't come as a surprise to manufacturers following the earlier consultation.

I don't know what the dimension restrictions are in other countries.

The changes, which are being made by MHCLG early next year, will amend the existing permitted development right to:

• Remove the 1m boundary rule, enabling heat pumps to be installed within 1m of the property boundary.
• Increase the size limit of the heat pump for dwellinghouses from 0.6m3 to 1.5m3.
• Double the number of heat pumps permitted, from one to two for detached dwelling houses.
• Support the rollout of air-to-air heat pumps that can also provide a cooling function.