Conservation areas and listed buildings
What changes when your house is in a conservation area?
Short answer
A conservation area is an area the council has designated under section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 because of its special architectural or historic interest. Designation does not list your house. It changes four things:
- Permitted development is narrower. Conservation areas are "article 2(3) land" under the General Permitted Development Order 2015, so side extensions, two-storey rear extensions, dormers and roof enlargements, extra storeys and external cladding all need planning permission.
- Demolishing a building needs planning permission, and doing it without is a criminal offence (section 196D of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990).
- Tree work needs six weeks' notice to the council (section 211), or consent if the tree has a tree preservation order.
- Article 4 directions may remove more rights, such as replacing windows and doors or taking down front walls.
How decisions are made
(1) In the exercise, with respect to any buildings or other land in a conservation area, of any functions under or by virtue of any of the provisions mentioned in subsection (2), special attention shall be paid to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of that area.
National policy (policy HE9 of the August 2026 Framework) asks proposals to retain buildings and features that make a positive contribution where possible, and to take the area's special interest into account in the design. Many councils publish a conservation area appraisal that says what that interest is. Read it before you design.
Designation is a local land charge (section 69(4)), so it appears in a buyer's local search.
Permitted development on article 2(3) land
| Work | In a conservation area | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Single-storey rear extension, 3 m (4 m detached) | Permitted | A.1(f) |
| Larger rear extension with prior approval (6 m or 8 m) | Not available | A.1(g) |
| Side extension | Not permitted | A.2(b) |
| Rear extension of more than one storey | Not permitted | A.2(c) |
| Cladding in stone, artificial stone, pebble dash, render, timber, plastic or tiles | Not permitted | A.2(a) |
| Extra storeys | Not available | AA.1(b) |
| Dormers and other roof enlargements | Not permitted | B.1(f) |
| Rooflights and other roof alterations | Permitted within the Class C limits | C.1 |
| Garden building between a side wall and the boundary | Not permitted | E.3 |
| Chimney, flue or soil pipe on a wall or roof slope fronting a highway and forming the front or side elevation | Not permitted | G.1(c) |
| Satellite dish on a chimney, wall or roof slope that faces onto and is visible from a highway | Not permitted | H.1(e) |
| Solar panels on a wall, balcony or roof enclosure fronting a highway | Not permitted | Part 14, A.1(2)(e) |
| Air source heat pump on a wall or roof fronting a highway, or nearer the highway than the house | Not permitted | Part 14, G.2(j) |
The same restrictions apply in national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty, the Broads and World Heritage Sites, except that the Part 14 rows above are written for conservation areas and World Heritage Sites only. See solar panels and heat pumps on heritage homes.
Demolition
(1) It is an offence for a person to carry out or cause or permit to be carried out relevant demolition without the required planning permission.
"Relevant demolition" means demolishing a building in a conservation area in England, other than a listed building, a scheduled monument, an ecclesiastical building in ecclesiastical use, or a building covered by a direction of the Secretary of State (section 196D(3), read with section 75 of the Listed Buildings Act). The permitted development rights for demolishing buildings (Part 11, Class B) and gates, fences and walls (Part 11, Class C) both exclude relevant demolition.
Three points set this apart from ordinary planning:
- No fee. An application for relevant demolition costs nothing (government guidance, paragraph 055).
- No time limit. Enforcement is possible at any time (section 171B(2A)).
- Retrospective permission does not help. A later grant "does not affect the person's liability for the offence" (section 196D(9)).
Check with the council before removing any building or boundary wall. Some councils also use an article 4 direction to require permission to take down a front wall, fence or gate: Bristol has done so in the Cotham and Redland conservation area, in force since 4 November 2012.
Trees
Section 211 makes it an offence to cut down, top, lop, uproot, wilfully damage or wilfully destroy a tree in a conservation area unless you gave the council notice and then waited six weeks, or the council consented sooner. Without consent, the work must be done after the six weeks and within two years of the notice. The six weeks give the council time to decide whether to protect the tree with a tree preservation order.
Small trees are exempt: regulation 15 of the Tree Preservation Regulations 2012 excludes a tree whose diameter, measured over the bark 1.5 m above the ground, is 75 mm or less (100 mm where the work is thinning to help other trees grow). A tree that already has a tree preservation order needs the council's written consent instead (regulation 13). Neither notice nor consent has a fee.
Article 4 directions
Historic England notes that being in a conservation area might mean your house is affected by article 4 directions, restricting work such as replacing a door or window or altering gutters and downpipes. Each council writes its own for particular areas, so read the list for yours. See article 4 directions.
What this means for you
Before you design, confirm the boundary of the conservation area, read the appraisal, and check for article 4 directions. The planning constraints checker covers the national data. Where permitted development is gone, plan for a householder application: £548 from 1 April 2026, decided within 8 weeks.
Sources
- Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, section 69 legislation.gov.uk
- Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, section 72 legislation.gov.uk
- GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1 (Classes A to H) legislation.gov.uk
- GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 11 (heritage and demolition) legislation.gov.uk
- GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 14 (renewable energy) legislation.gov.uk
- Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 196D legislation.gov.uk
- Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, section 75 legislation.gov.uk
- Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 211 legislation.gov.uk
- Tree Preservation Regulations 2012, regulations 13 and 15 legislation.gov.uk
- Planning practice guidance: historic environment, paragraph 055 gov.uk
- National Planning Policy Framework, August 2026, policy HE9 gov.uk
- Historic England: living in a conservation area historicengland.org.uk
- Planning Portal: application fees in England from 1 April 2026 planningportal.co.uk
- Bristol City Council: article 4 directions bristol.gov.uk