The Energy Secretary's latest move could provoke local tensions (Image: Getty)

       Ed Miliband's removal of planning restrictions for installing a heat pump could drive a wedge between neighbours, critics have warned. The Energy Secretary confirmed that the existing rule that a heat pump needs planning permission if within a one-metre boundary of a neighbour's property had been removed to encourage households to switch to "cheap, clean power". The measures were originally brought in to minimise noise pollution, requiring assessments to be carried out before permission was granted for the heat pump installation.

       Critics of the change, which came into force on Thursday, May 29, have slammed it as a "quick fix" to boost clean energy production that will have repercussions on neighbourly relationships around the UK. "Heat pumps are clearly a mistake," Andrew Montford, of Net Zero Watch, said. "They are expensive to install and expensive to run, and now it seems they are going to set neighbour against neighbour too," he told The Telegraph. "It's hard to identify any redeeming features at all."

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       The green technology will not need planning permission to be installed near a neighbour's home (Image: Getty)

       Mike Foster, of the Energy Utilities Alliance trade body, added that the scrapped rule was "another quick fix in the rush to drive up the numbers being fitted".

       "The answer to the problem is to make the appliance quieter, not get rid of a protection against noise," he said.

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       While the move to scrap the planning rule isn't new - and was also considered by the previous Conservative government after complaints about difficult implementation - it comes amid weak demand for the electrical appliances.

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       Around 65,600 heat pumps were installed in UK homes last year, according to certification body MCS, significantly less than Miliband's target of 600,000 a year by 2028.

       They were also dwarfed by the 1.5 million new gas boilers fitted over the same period, with the preference thought to be linked to cheaper upfront costs and simpler, more reliable systems.

       Announcing the change on Thursday, the Energy Secretary said: "The one-metre rule for heat pumps has been removed. [This is] another important step in delivering our Warm Homes Plan, making it easier for families to make the switch to cheap, clean power."

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       A report from Miliband's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero last year anticipated a rise in noise complaints linked to increased heat pump installation.

       It found that local councils "would not have the capacity to cope with the increase in planning applications and noise complaints" as the drive towards more heat pumps across the country ramps up.

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       Government incentives to switch from gas boilers include a doubling of the heat pump subsidies scheme from next year - which currently allows households to claim up to ￡7,500 towards buying an appliance.

       A spokesperson for the government said: “The energy shocks of recent years have shown the urgent need to upgrade British homes and our Warm Homes Plan will make them cheaper and cleaner to run, rolling out upgrades from new insulation to solar and heat pumps.

       “We have seen incredible innovation in heat pump design over the past decade, with technological advances meaning they have become quieter over time and noise complaints are rare. All heat pumps installed have to comply with strict sound emission limits.”