Restrictions in Conservation Areas

Living in a conservation area brings certain planning restrictions designed to protect the area's character. Here's what you need to know.

Permitted development restrictions

In England, certain permitted development rights are automatically restricted in conservation areas. These include:

• Cladding the exterior of a house
• Adding a dormer window to a roof slope facing the highway
• Installing a satellite dish on a chimney, wall, or roof facing the highway
• Extensions to the side of a house

Your local authority may also apply Article 4 Directions that remove additional permitted development rights.

Trees

If you want to cut down, top, lop, or uproot a tree in a conservation area, you must give your local planning authority 6 weeks' written notice. This applies to all trees with a trunk diameter greater than 75mm (measured at 1.5m above ground).

The authority can then decide whether to make a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) to protect the tree.

Demolition

You generally need planning permission before demolishing a building in a conservation area. This includes:

• Any building over 115 cubic metres
• Walls, fences, or railings over 1 metre high next to a highway, or 2 metres elsewhere
• Any gate, fence, wall, or railing in a conservation area

What about interior changes?

Conservation area controls generally only affect the exterior of buildings and the character of the area. Interior alterations are not usually restricted unless the building is also individually listed.

Check your property

Use our free postcode checker to find out if your property is in a conservation area.