Is my house in a conservation area?

A conservation area is a part of a town or village that the council has designated for its special architectural or historic interest, under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. It might be a historic town centre, a Victorian suburb, a village green or a single street.

The designation protects the character of the whole area rather than any one building. That's why it reaches things a listing never would: ordinary houses, front walls, trees, even the materials on a roof.

The national planning dataset holds 10,531 conservation areas published by 304 of England's 306 planning authorities. That's what the checker above searches.

Living in a conservation area doesn't stop you changing your home, but some work that is automatic elsewhere needs permission or notice here. The main differences:

• Trees: you must give the council six weeks' written notice before cutting down or pruning most trees, generally those with a trunk 75 mm or more across measured 1.5 m above the ground.
• Extensions: permitted development rights are smaller. Side extensions and rear extensions of more than one storey generally need planning permission.
• Roofs: dormer windows and other roof extensions generally need planning permission.
• Outside walls: cladding the outside in stone, render, timber, plastic or tiles generally needs planning permission.
• Demolition: knocking down most buildings, and some walls, gates and fences, needs planning permission.

Many councils go further with an Article 4 direction, which can also bring windows, doors, porches, painting and front boundaries under control. Article 4 directions are checked separately in the property report.

Enter a postcode and the checker searches the published conservation area boundaries within 250 m of it. You'll see one of four answers:

• Inside: the postcode falls within a conservation area boundary, and the checker names it.
• On the boundary: the postcode is within a few metres of a boundary. A postcode covers several properties, so some addresses may be inside and some outside.
• Not inside: there is a conservation area nearby, and the checker names it and says how far away it is.
• None found: no conservation area within 250 m. If the council hasn't published its areas, the checker says so rather than calling that an all-clear.

It's a first check, not a legal answer. Your council holds the definitive boundaries and can confirm whether a specific address is inside one.

1. 1Check the postcode above.
2. 2Confirm the boundary with your council, especially if the result is "On the boundary". Most councils publish a conservation area map or appraisal on their website.
3. 3Check for Tree Preservation Orders and Article 4 directions too. They are separate protections and often overlap with conservation areas.
4. 4Give six weeks' notice before tree work, or apply for planning permission before building work, and wait for the council's answer.
5. 5Keep what the council tells you in writing.