Home / Conservation areas / Dartford Borough Council
South EastConservation areas in Dartford Borough Council
6 conservation areas and 6 Article 4 directions on the official register. If your property is in one, extensions, lofts, cladding, outbuildings and demolition follow stricter rules.
Conservation areas
Church Hill Conservation Area
Designated 1998 · ref. CH/CONARA
Rules & recordDartford Town Centre Conservation Area
Designated 1980 · ref. 06/00001/CONARA
Rules & recordGreenhithe Conservation Area
Designated 1975 · ref. GR/CONARA
Rules & recordHook Green Conservation Area
Designated 1985 · ref. HG/CONARA
Rules & recordRed Street Conservation Area
Designated 1998 · ref. RS/CONARA
Rules & recordSouthfleet Conservation Area
Designated 1970 · ref. SO/CONARA
Rules & recordWhat a conservation area changes
Extensions
Side extensions, and rear extensions of more than one storey, are not permitted development — they need planning permission. Single-storey rear extensions keep their normal limits, but the Larger Home Extension prior-approval route is not available.
Lofts and roofs
Roof extensions such as dormers are not permitted development. Rooflights are usually fine if they don't project more than 15 cm.
Cladding
Cladding the outside of a house in stone, artificial stone, pebble dash, render, timber, plastic or tiles needs planning permission.
Outbuildings
Garden rooms, sheds and other outbuildings to the side of the house need planning permission.
Demolition
Demolishing a building larger than 115 m³ needs planning permission. Taking down a wall, gate or fence over 1 m high next to a road (or 2 m elsewhere) also needs permission.
Trees
You must give the council six weeks' notice before cutting down or pruning most trees (trunk over 7.5 cm across at 1.5 m high), even if they are not protected by a tree preservation order.
Article 4 directions
Councils can remove more permitted development rights — for example for windows, doors, porches or front boundaries — with an Article 4 direction. Check the council's list below.
Article 4 directions in Dartford Borough Council
These remove some permitted development rights in the areas they cover — check whether one applies to your property before you rely on permitted development.
- Article 4 Direction File Reference: PT191 (4 September 1980)
- Article 4 Direction File Reference: PT191(1) (3 June 1982)
- Article 4 Direction File Reference: PT191(2) (10 October 1983)
- Article 4 Direction File Reference: PT191(3) (28 March 1984)
- Article 4 Direction File Reference: PT35 (25 November 1976)
- HMO Article 4(1) Direction North Order 2025 (8 December 2025)
Conservation area and Article 4 data: planning.data.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Always confirm boundaries and rules with the council before starting work. General information, not legal advice.