This substantial house at the end of my road has just had 100mm insulation added to its exterior brickwork. 
Today it was given a waterproof render. 
Had I stopped this morning and whipped out my camera you would have seen the blocks of insulation fixed to the bricks prior to rendering.
An opportunity I was sorry to have missed.
The house next door has received no treatment.
I've seen a few of these mis-matched semis since I moved to Bedford and it makes me really glad to know that the local planning office will permit a homeowner to improve the quality of their own building independently of an agreement with the owner of the neighbouring semi, even though that means the street loses its uniformity.
Bedford Borough Council seems to care less about precious historic aesthetics than it does about the environment and affordable sustainable living – hurrah!
The really expensive houses in the conservation area have many more restrictions. The people who live in those houses can easily afford to pump energy into the atmosphere even though the planet cannot. They are permitted to add interior insulation, but dislike the idea of reducing their massive room sizes by a paltry 10cm.
I know this because I have chatted with a homeowner in the conservation area on this very subject. He also happens to drive a Maserati.
I spoke with the guys in this image after they'd climbed down from the scaffold and removed surplus materials from the public footpath. I told them I thought they've made a beautiful job and that I would like to do the same thing with my place as and when I own one. They smiled and told me to come to them first.