Rural homes face different rules depending on which nation they're in, and local pages add what's specific to each county or region: national parks, protected rivers, drainage boards and private water supplies. Choose your nation or area below.
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What changes from nation to nation
| Topic | England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Septic tank and treatment plant discharges | Environment Agency general binding rules (GOV.UK) | SEPA authorisation (SEPA) | Natural Resources Wales registration or permit (NRW) | Consent from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (DAERA) |
| Private water supplies | Local council risk assessment and monitoring (DWI) | Local council sampling, reported by the Drinking Water Quality Regulator (DWQR) | Local council risk assessment and monitoring (DWI) | See our Northern Ireland page |
| Heat pump grants | Boiler Upgrade Scheme (GOV.UK) | Home Energy Scotland grants and loans (Home Energy Scotland) | Boiler Upgrade Scheme (GOV.UK) | See our Northern Ireland page |
| Planning in national parks | The national park authority is the planning authority, for example in the Lake District (Lake District NPA) | Applications go to the council; the Cairngorms National Park Authority can call some in (CNPA) | The national park authority is the planning authority (Welsh Government) | Ask your council |
How we use local information
Each area page uses census heating figures from the ONS, Scotland's Census and NISRA, and links every rule to the regulator, council or national park that publishes it. If you spot something out of date for your area, email [email protected].
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