Am I in a conservation area? Check your postcode and what you cannot do without permission
Not listed does not mean unrestricted. Inside a conservation area, demolition, side and two-storey extensions, dormers, cladding, front-facing panels and work to trees are all controlled. See the area free — then get the rules for your property as a dated PDF for £7.99.
planning.data.gov.uk conservation areas + Historic England NHLE · England only · Try CT1 2EH (Canterbury) or BA1 2LR (Bath)
How reliable is "not in a conservation area"?
Conservation-area boundaries are published by each council to planning.data.gov.uk — and not every council has done so. Every result here tells you, before you pay, how many conservation areas your council has published. If the answer is none, "no conservation area found" is not proof, and we say so.
What changes inside a conservation area
- Demolishing a building, gate, fence or wall needs planning permission — doing it without is a criminal offence (small structures may be exempt; check with the council)
- Permitted development is cut back: no side extensions, two-storey rear extensions, dormers or cladding without an application
- Six weeks' written notice to the council before work to almost any tree
- Councils often add an Article 4 direction removing further rights — we flag it and link to the direction-level analysis
What the £7.99 report adds
- Every consent rule that applies at this point, with its statutory basis
- A plain-English list of what you cannot do without permission
- The criminal offences and penalties that apply
- Listed buildings within 60 m whose setting affects your application, and a dated PDF for your architect or solicitor
Buying or renovating a listed building? Use the listed building check — it covers the grade, listed building consent and the offences at each grade.