About the Stowe Conservation Area
The Stowe Conservation Area covers about 288 hectares and was designated by Buckinghamshire Council in 1990. Inside the boundary are 44 listed buildings (27 Grade I, 4 Grade II*, 13 Grade II). The most significant is Arches at Each End of North Front of Mansion, Grade I. 1 Tree Preservation Order record overlap the area; every other tree here still needs six weeks’ notice before work. Part of the area lies in flood zone 3, so an extension may need a flood risk assessment.
What changes inside the conservation area
Conservation areas are “Article 2(3) land”. You keep most permitted development rights, but these are removed or tightened.
- Rear extensionElsewhere: 3 m · 6 m with PANo 6 m / 8 m prior approval
- Two-storey extensionElsewhere: 3 mNeeds planning permission
- Side extensionElsewhere: Half the widthNeeds planning permission
- Loft conversionElsewhere: 50 m³Needs planning permission
- Garden roomElsewhere: 2.5 m high by boundariesNot beside the house
- PorchElsewhere: 3 m²Same limits
- Solar panelsElsewhere: 0.2 m projectionSame limits
- Air source heat pumpElsewhere: 1 unitNot facing the road
- Fences, walls and gatesElsewhere: 2 m · 1 m by a roadSame limits
- External claddingElsewhere: Matching materialsNeeds planning permission
- Tree workElsewhere: No notice6 weeks’ notice to the council
- Demolition (over 115 m³)Elsewhere: AllowedNeeds planning permission
Limits for a semi-detached house under the GPDO 2015. An Article 4 direction can remove more.
Listed buildings in the conservation area
Any work affecting these needs listed building consent, inside or out. Each links to its entry on the National Heritage List.
- Arches at Each End of North Front of MansionGrade I
- Captain Cooks Monument the Shell BridgeGrade I
- Didos CaveGrade I
- Equestrian Statue of George I to North of the MansionGrade I
- Lord Cobhams ColumnGrade I
- Queen Carolines MonumentGrade I
- The Boycott PavilionsGrade I
- The CascadeGrade I
- The Congreve MonumentGrade I
- The Corinthian ArchGrade I
- The Doric ArchGrade I
- The Fane of Pastoral PoetryGrade I
- The Gothic TempleGrade I
- The Grenville ColumnGrade I
- The HermitageGrade I
- The Lake PavilionsGrade I
- The Mansion With Attached Service Ranges (now Nugent House, Cobham House and Grafton House)Grade I
- The Oxford BridgeGrade I
- The Oxford Gate, Gate Piers and LodgesGrade I
- The Palladian BridgeGrade I
- The Queens TempleGrade I
- The RotondoGrade I
- The Temple of Ancient VirtueGrade I
- The Temple of British WorthiesGrade I
Show all 44 listed buildings ↓All 44 listed buildings
- The Temple of Concord and VictoryGrade I
- The Temple of Friendship to South East of the MansionGrade I
- The Temple of VenusGrade I
- Church of the Assumption of the Virgin MaryGrade II*
- New Inn Farmhouse With Outbuildings BehindGrade II*
- The GrottoGrade II*
- The Pebble AlcoveGrade II*
- Buckingham Lodges, East LodgeGrade II
- Buckingham Lodges, West LodgeGrade II
- Cottage With Attached Railings, Gate Piers and Wall North West of the MansionGrade II
- Former Orangery and Adjoining Classroom Block, West of MansionGrade II
- Monument in Chapel CourtGrade II
- Monument in Walpole CourtGrade II
- School ChapelGrade II
- School ShopGrade II
- Statue of a sleeping shepherd in Stowe landscape gardensGrade II
- Statue of a sleeping shepherdess in Stowe landscape gardensGrade II
- The KennelsGrade II
- The Seasons FountainGrade II
- Water Stratford Lodge, Gate Piers and Railings to Stoke ParkGrade II
The council’s appraisal
WEBStowe Conservation Area AppraisalBuckinghamshire Council’s description of the area’s character — what planners look at when you apply.Open on council site ↗Nearby conservation areas
Boundary and listed buildings from Buckinghamshire Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.