On this page 13 sections
- 01What changes when a house is in a conservation area
- 02How to check whether you are in a conservation area
- 03Project by project: what you can do without planning permission
- 04Demolition in a conservation area
- 05Trees in a conservation area
- 06When an Article 4 direction applies
- 07Applying for permission in a conservation area
- 08Buying a house in a conservation area
- 09Common myths
- 10Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
- 11Frequently asked questions
- 12Related guides
- 13Browse Planning by Region
In England, living in a conservation area does not switch off permitted development: you can still extend at the rear, fit rooflights, re-roof, paint, build a porch, put up a fence and fit solar panels on a roof slope without applying. What goes is a short, specific list: side extensions, extensions of more than one storey at the rear, the 6 m / 8 m larger rear extension, extra storeys and loft dormers, cladding, outbuildings beside the house, and satellite dishes, flues, heat pumps and wall-mounted solar on the street-facing side; flat-roof and street-side ground-mounted solar need prior approval. Demolition and tree work also come under tighter control. An Article 4 direction can then remove far more, so check the council's list before any job. Rules as at 20 October 2026; England only, with a Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland section at the end.
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What changes when a house is in a conservation area
Three things change, and it helps to keep them apart.
1. Permitted development is narrowed. A conservation area is "article 2(3) land", a category the General Permitted Development Order 2015 (the GPDO) uses to restrict specific rights. Schedule 1 Part 1 lists the six kinds of article 2(3) land: conservation areas, areas of outstanding natural beauty (now branded National Landscapes), land specified under section 41(3) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Broads, National Parks and World Heritage Sites. The Green Belt is not on that list, which is a common mix-up (see Green Belt and Grey Belt Explained).
2. Decisions get a statutory heritage test. In deciding an application, the council must pay "special attention… to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of that area" (Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, s72). Government policy adds that substantial weight should be given to the conservation of a designated heritage asset, and that any harm to it is "a matter of considerable importance and weight" (NPPF, published 17 August 2026, policy HE6), with a further policy specific to conservation areas (HE9) that asks for the area's special interest to be considered in the design of any development "within or affecting the significance of" it.
3. Some activities get their own controls: demolition of unlisted buildings, and work to trees.
Two limits matter before you read on. First, the Part 1 rights below belong to houses: the GPDO defines "dwellinghouse" to exclude a building containing flats and a flat within one, so flats and maisonettes have none of them (a few Part 2 and Part 14 rights, such as painting and solar on a block of flats, do apply). Second, the table assumes the house is not listed (listed buildings need listed building consent for almost anything), and that no Article 4 direction or planning condition has removed the right. A condition on the house's original planning permission, for example, overrides the Order (GPDO art 3(4)), so read that decision notice too. A building can also be both listed and in a conservation area, in which case both sets of controls apply, and listed building consent covers works to the interior as well as the exterior.
How to check whether you are in a conservation area
- Your council's constraints or heritage map. Councils designate conservation areas themselves under section 69 of the 1990 Act, and each publishes its own boundaries, usually with an appraisal.
- The national dataset. planning.data.gov.uk publishes a conservation-area map layer. It carries its own warning that the data "may be incomplete and not yet cover all of England" and contains duplicates, so treat it as a first look and confirm with the council.
- The local land charges register. The designation of an area as a conservation area "shall be a local land charge" (s69(4)). HM Land Registry's local land charges service covers England and Wales, lists conservation areas among its examples, is free to search, and sells an official search certificate for £15. It warns that not all councils' data is on it yet.
- A solicitor's search when buying. The standard CON29 enquiries are the Law Society's 2016 form, and Q3.9 asks about notices and directions under the planning Acts, including (item (j)) a "direction restricting permitted development". The Law Society's guidance notes say replies to Q3.9 should not repeat matters already on the local land charges register, so check both.
"Near" is not "in". The permitted development restrictions apply only to land within the boundary. But a proposal outside it is still tested against the area: NPPF policy HE9 covers development "within or affecting the significance of" a conservation area.
Project by project: what you can do without planning permission
The tables below use the GPDO's own class references so that you, your builder and the council are all reading the same text. They assume an unlisted house, no Article 4 direction and no condition removing the right. "PD" means permitted development.
Extending and altering the house
| Project | PD in a conservation area? | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| Single-storey rear extension | Yes, to the smaller limits | Part 1 Class A: no more than 4 m beyond the rear wall of a detached house, 3 m for any other house, and no more than 4 m high (A.1(f)). The 8 m / 6 m "larger home extension" route (A.1(g)) is limited to land that is not article 2(3) land, so it is unavailable. Materials must be of similar appearance (A.3(a)). |
| Side extension | No | Not permitted if it would extend beyond a wall forming a side elevation of the original house (Class A, A.2(b)). |
| Two-storey rear extension | No | Not permitted if the enlarged part has more than one storey and extends beyond the rear wall of the original house (A.2(c)). |
| Cladding or rendering the walls | No | Not permitted if it includes cladding "with stone, artificial stone, pebble dash, render, timber, plastic or tiles" (A.2(a)). |
| Loft conversion with a dormer or roof extension | No | Class B is not available if "the dwellinghouse is on article 2(3) land" (B.1(f)). |
| Rooflights | Yes | Class C: may protrude no more than 0.15 m beyond the roof plane (C.1(b)). A window on a side roof slope must be obscure-glazed, and non-opening unless the parts that open are more than 1.7 m above the floor of the room (C.2). |
| Re-roofing, new roof tiles | Yes | Class C covers "any other alteration to the roof". The Government's technical guidance gives re-roofing as an example. Class C has no "similar appearance" condition, only the side-window one, so a change of material is still PD unless an Article 4 direction or a condition covers roofs. |
| Replacement windows and doors | Yes, if similar in appearance | Class A (the same guidance describes it as covering "new windows and doors"), subject to A.3(a): materials "of a similar appearance" to the existing exterior. The guidance says the test is similar visual appearance, "for example in terms of their overall shape, and the colour and size of the frames". Replacing like for like without materially changing the exterior is not development at all (TCPA s55(2)(a)). |
| Porch | Yes | Class D: no more than 3 m² ground area, 3 m high, and no part within 2 m of a boundary with a highway. |
| Chimney, flue or soil pipe | Yes, but not on the street side | Class G: not on a wall or roof slope that fronts a highway and forms the principal or a side elevation (G.1(c)). Under 1 m above the highest part of the roof (G.1(b)). |
| Satellite dish | Not on the street side | Class H: not on a chimney, wall or roof slope that "faces onto, and is visible from, a highway" (H.1(e)(i)). |
| Painting the exterior | Yes, any colour | Part 2 Class C: "the painting of the exterior of any building or work", where painting "includes any application of colour" (C.2). The only exclusion is painting for advertisement (C.1). |
You may read that painting in a "significantly different colour" needs permission. It does not: the text of Class C contains no colour test, and only an Article 4 direction, a planning condition or listing changes that.
Energy: solar, heat pumps and EV charging
| Project | PD in a conservation area? | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| Solar panels on a pitched roof | Yes, even on the front slope | Part 14 Class A, as restructured from 27 August 2026 by SI 2026/896. The conservation-area bar is on equipment "installed on a wall, balcony or roof enclosure which fronts a highway" (A.1(2)(e)), not on roof slopes. Panels may protrude no more than 0.2 m from a pitched roof and not above the ridge (A.1(2)(c)). Listed houses are excluded from 27 August 2026 (A.1(2)(g)), although under the transitional saving in article 6 of SI 2026/896 panels on the listed house itself remain permitted development until the end of 26 August 2027; listed building consent may still be needed. |
| Solar panels on a street-facing wall or balcony | No | A.1(2)(e) above. |
| Solar panels on a flat roof | Only after prior approval | Allowed up to 0.6 m above the roof (A.1(2)(d)), but on article 2(3) land the developer must first apply to the council for a determination on appearance (A.2(ba)). |
| Plug-in ("balcony") solar | Yes in principle, with limits | Falls within Class A. Not permitted on a wooden wall, balcony or enclosure, or on timber-clad exterior (A.1(2)(h)), and subject to the same street-facing wall and balcony bar. |
| Ground-mounted solar | Limited | Class B: no higher than 2 m where it is nearer the road than the house or within 5 m of the boundary, and 1 m if it is within 5 m of the boundary and forward of the principal elevation (B.1(2)(a)); no more than 9 m² of panels (B.1(2)(c)). A prior approval application on appearance is needed first if any part is nearer the road than the house, or within 5 m of the boundary (B.2(aa)). |
| Air source heat pump | Yes, but not on the street side | Part 14 Class G: not on a wall or roof that fronts a highway, and not nearer the highway than the house (G.2(j)). Must meet the MCS Planning Standards (G.1), one unit (two on a detached house) with an outdoor unit up to 1.5 m³ (G.2(a), (d)). In force in this form since 29 May 2025 (SI 2025/560). |
| EV charge point | Yes in a parking area; the new wider right excludes conservation areas | Part 2 Class D and Class E cover an outlet or upstand within an area lawfully used for off-street parking. From 21 October 2026, SI 2026/1056 extends both classes to other areas within a dwelling's curtilage, but expressly not "within a conservation area". |
For detail on each, see our guides to solar panels, heat pumps and EV chargers.
Garden and boundary
| Project | PD in a conservation area? | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| Garden room, shed or outbuilding | Yes, but not at the side of the house | Class E: in a conservation area no part may be on land between a side wall of the house and the boundary (E.3). Otherwise single storey, nothing forward of the principal elevation, 2.5 m high within 2 m of a boundary, 4 m with a dual-pitched roof or 3 m with any other roof, eaves 2.5 m (E.1(c)–(f)). The E.2 cap (no more than 10 m² of buildings more than 20 m from the house) applies to National Landscapes, National Parks, the Broads and World Heritage Sites, not to conservation areas. |
| Driveway or hard surface | Yes | Class F: a hard surface of more than 5 m² between the principal elevation and the highway must be porous or drain to a permeable area within the curtilage (F.2). Dropping the kerb is a separate matter for the highway authority (Highways Act 1980 s184; Part 2 Class B covers new access only to unclassified roads and only where needed for other PD). |
| Fence, gate or wall | Yes, within height limits | Part 2 Class A: no more than 1 m above ground next to a highway used by vehicles, 2 m elsewhere (A.1(a), (b)). Not around a listed building (A.1(d)). |
Demolition in a conservation area
Until 2013 demolishing an unlisted building in a conservation area needed "conservation area consent". The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (s63 and Schedule 17) abolished it from 1 October 2013 and replaced it with ordinary planning permission. Historic England confirms that since 2013 "this is no longer required, but planning permission will be required for 'relevant demolition'". Any source still telling you to apply for "demolition consent" in England is out of date.
What counts as "relevant demolition" is set by TCPA 1990 s196D: demolition of a building in a conservation area in England, other than a building that section 74 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 does not apply to (under s75: listed buildings, certain church buildings, scheduled monuments and buildings described in a direction of the Secretary of State). The Secretary of State's Conservation Areas Direction 2015 (para 4) is that direction. Putting it together with the Demolition Direction 2021 and PPG 13-064 ("What permissions/prior approvals are required for demolition in a conservation area?"):
| What you want to demolish | What is needed |
|---|---|
| A building of 50 m³ or less (measured externally) | Nothing: it is not "development" (2021 Direction, para 3(1)(a)). |
| A building over 50 m³ and up to 115 m³ (external), or part of such a building | Not "relevant demolition" (2015 Direction, para 4(a)), so it is permitted development under Part 11 Class B, but you must first ask the council whether it requires prior approval of the method of demolition and site restoration (B.2(b)). |
| A gate, fence or wall under 1 m high next to a highway, waterway or open space, or under 2 m elsewhere | Not "relevant demolition" (2015 Direction, para 4(b)), so permitted development under Part 11 Class C. |
| A building over 115 m³, or a gate, fence or wall at or above those heights | Planning permission (it is "relevant demolition", which Classes B.1(b) and C.1 exclude from PD). |
The direction also removes a few special cases from the definition, for example agricultural or forestry buildings erected since 1 January 1914 and buildings an enforcement notice or a planning condition requires to be demolished (para 4(c), (f), (g)).
Three consequences of the table follow.
- It is a crime to get it wrong. Carrying out relevant demolition without planning permission is an offence under s196D(1), triable in the magistrates' court or the Crown Court, with a defence for demolition "urgently necessary in the interests of safety or health" where nothing less would do and the council is told in writing as soon as reasonably practicable (s196D(4)).
- There is no time limit on enforcement. TCPA s171B(2A) provides that "there is no restriction on when enforcement action may be taken" against relevant demolition, so the 10-year rule that protects other breaches does not help.
- An application only for the demolition is free. Regulation 5A of the Fees Regulations 2012 removes the fee where the application "relates solely to development which is relevant demolition" (the Planning Portal's April 2026 fee guide lists it as having no fee). If you also apply to build something in its place, the normal fee for the new work applies. The usual design and heritage material is still expected.
Do not confuse this with demolition of a pub, a venue or a commemorative structure, which have their own exclusions from Class B (B.1(c)–(e)).
Trees in a conservation area
A tree in a conservation area that has no Tree Preservation Order is protected by TCPA s211. Cutting down, uprooting, topping, lopping, or wilfully damaging or destroying it without notice is an offence. The statutory route is a section 211 notice to the council:
- You give notice and then wait six weeks, unless the council consents sooner. The notice period lets the council consider making a TPO (PPG 36-116, "What about trees in a conservation area that are not protected by a Tree Preservation Order?").
- If the council does nothing, you may carry out the work in the period after the six weeks and before two years from the date of the notice (s211(3)(b)(ii)).
- Cutting down or uprooting a tree whose diameter does not exceed 75 mm, or topping or lopping one that size, is excepted, and so is cutting down or uprooting a tree up to 100 mm solely to improve the growth of other trees. Diameter is measured over the bark 1.5 m above ground level (Town and Country Planning (Tree Preservation) (England) Regulations 2012, reg 15(1)(d)–(e) and (2)).
- The penalties are those for breaching a TPO (s211(4); PPG 36-120). For cutting down, uprooting or wilfully destroying a tree, or damaging, topping or lopping it in a way likely to destroy it, s210(1)–(2) provides for a fine with no statutory maximum. Lesser work done without notice is a summary offence with a fine up to level 4 on the standard scale (s210(4)). If a tree is removed or destroyed in breach of s211, the owner must also plant a replacement of an appropriate size and species (s213(1)).
Older websites, and the PPG's own paragraph on penalties, quote a £20,000 maximum; that figure no longer matches the text of s210(2). For the difference between a TPO and a conservation-area tree, see TPO vs conservation area trees and our trees guide.
When an Article 4 direction applies
An Article 4 direction is the council's tool for switching off permitted development in a defined area. Conservation areas attract them because the GPDO gives councils a fast lane there: an immediate direction (one that bites on service of notice, subject to confirmation within six months) can be made for a defined list of works fronting a highway, waterway or open space, namely alterations and extensions to the house (which take in windows and doors), roof slopes, porches, outbuildings, hard surfaces, antennas, gates, fences and walls (including demolishing them), and painting, as well as chimneys (GPDO Schedule 3 para 2(1)(b) and (3)).
An Article 4 direction does not ban the work. It means the work needs a planning application. Our full guide, What Is an Article 4 Direction?, explains what they remove, how to check your street, whether you pay a fee and whether compensation is due. Houses in multiple occupation are covered in Article 4 HMO directions by council.
Applying for permission in a conservation area
Everything the Order does not permit needs a normal planning application, and the council applies the s72 duty and NPPF policy HE6 and HE9 described above.
- A heritage assessment. NPPF policy HE5 says proposals "affecting heritage assets should be accompanied by an assessment of the significance of the assets affected", proportionate to their importance and "no more than is necessary". Your council's local validation list will say what it wants. The council's conservation area appraisal, where one exists, is the best guide to what it considers special; Historic England's Advice Note 1 (second edition, 2019) explains how appraisals work.
- A design and access statement is narrower than people think. Under DMPO art 9 it is needed for major development and, where any part is in a conservation area or World Heritage Site, for development consisting of the provision of one or more dwellinghouses or of a building or buildings with 100 m² or more of floor space. A householder extension needs one only if it creates 100 m² or more of floor space (art 9(1)(b)(ii); an extension counts as "a building" because the term includes part of a building, TCPA s336(1); see also PPG 14-030). Most householder extensions are smaller, but your council's validation list may still ask for a heritage statement.
- What officers weigh. Whether the work conserves the "buildings and other features which make a positive contribution to the character or appearance of the conservation area" (HE9(1)(a)); the harm, if any, against public benefits (HE6(4)); and the design's response to the area's "special architectural or historic interest" (HE9(1)(b)). HE6(4) names "enabling energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures" as an example of an important public benefit, which is relevant to solar, heat pumps and window upgrades.
- Fee and timing. The council's fee is the same as anywhere else: from 1 April 2026 it is £548 for altering or extending a single house (category 6) and £272 for outbuildings, gates, fences and walls (category 7). A householder decision is due in 8 weeks unless you agree longer (DMPO art 34), and a householder appeal must be made within 12 weeks (art 37).
If you want to object to someone else's application, the heritage grounds above are exactly what officers must weigh: see how to object to a planning application.
Buying a house in a conservation area
The checks that matter: the designation (local land charge, above), any Article 4 direction (usually on the local land charges search; otherwise in the reply to CON29 Q3.9(j)), and the planning history, because works that needed permission and never had it remain enforceable. Building work substantially completed on or after 25 April 2024 can be enforced against for 10 years; earlier work is on the old 4-year clock if it was substantially completed before that date (SI 2024/452 reg 5); and unauthorised demolition has no limit at all (s171B(2A)). Start with how to check the planning history of a property, then see buying a house with no planning permission and retrospective planning permission.
Common myths
- "You can't change anything in a conservation area." Wrong: Parts 1 and 2 of the Order still apply, minus the specific restrictions in the tables above.
- "You need conservation area consent." Abolished in England on 1 October 2013. It is planning permission, and only for relevant demolition.
- "Solar panels are banned." Not on a roof slope. The bar is on street-facing walls, balconies and roof enclosures.
- "Painting needs permission." It doesn't, whatever the colour (Part 2 Class C).
- "Green belt land is conservation area land." It isn't. The Green Belt is not article 2(3) land; nothing in Parts 1 or 2 of Schedule 2 mentions it (see the Green Belt guide).
- "A conservation area and an Article 4 area are the same." No. A conservation area narrows permitted development by default; an Article 4 direction is a separate, local decision that can take more away.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Everything above is the law of England. The other nations differ.
- Wales. The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 no longer applies in Wales: the Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2023 came into full effect on 4 November 2024, and Cadw confirms its Part 4 still requires "conservation area consent from the planning authority for the demolition of an unlisted building in a conservation area". Wales also still operates under the General Permitted Development Order 1995, which was revoked for England when the 2015 Order replaced it on 15 April 2015, so check the Welsh order rather than relying on the class references in this guide.
- Scotland. Councils designate conservation areas under s61 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997, and s66 says a building in one "shall not be demolished without the consent of the appropriate authority" ("conservation area consent"). Permitted development sits in the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992.
- Northern Ireland. Councils (and the Department) designate under s104 of the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, s105 requires conservation area consent to demolish a building in a conservation area, and the Strategic Planning Policy Statement, Edition 2 (December 2025) para 6.18 still speaks of "conservation area consent for demolition of unlisted buildings". Permitted development is under the Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015.
Related guides
- Article 4 directions explained
- Planning permission for listed buildings
- Permitted development rights explained
- Do I need planning permission for an extension?
- Do I need planning permission for new windows?
- Do I need planning permission for cladding?
- Do I need planning permission for a fence?
- Log cabins in conservation areas, AONBs and National Parks
- Planning permission for trees: TPOs and felling rules
- How to object to a planning application
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Law and policy checked against legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK as at 20 October 2026. PPG paragraph numbers are the Reference IDs printed after each paragraph on GOV.UK. A council's own conservation area appraisal and any Article 4 direction can change the answer for your street.
Browse Planning by Region
- Planning in London: extensive conservation area coverage
- Planning in the South East: historic cathedral cities and market towns
- Planning in the South West: Bath, the Cotswolds and a high density of heritage assets
- Planning in Wales: a separate system, led by Cadw
Frequently asked questions
Do I need planning permission for an extension in a conservation area?
Often not for a single-storey rear extension up to 3 m (4 m detached) and 4 m high, and never under the 6 m / 8 m larger-home route. A side extension, a two-storey rear extension or any cladding does need permission (Class A, A.1(f) and A.2).
Can I replace windows with uPVC?
National law does not ban it, but the replacement must be of "similar appearance" to the existing windows (A.3(a)), and some conservation areas have an Article 4 direction on front windows. If in doubt, ask the council or apply for a lawful development certificate first.
Can I put solar panels on the front of my roof?
Yes, on a pitched roof, if the house is not listed and no Article 4 direction applies. Not on a wall, balcony or roof enclosure facing the street.
Do I need permission to demolish a shed?
Under 50 m³: no. Up to 115 m³: it is permitted development, but check prior approval first. Over 115 m³: planning permission.
My neighbour is doing building work. How do I check it is allowed?
Search the council's planning register for an application. If there is none, the work may be permitted development (the tables above show what is and isn't, and an Article 4 direction may apply), or it may be unauthorised: ask the council's enforcement team, and see planning enforcement.
Is the green belt the same thing?
No. See Green Belt and Grey Belt Explained.
Disclaimer: PlanWatch provides general information about UK planning processes. This content is not legal advice. Planning law is complex and varies by local authority. Consult a qualified planning consultant or solicitor for advice specific to your situation.