About the Sowerby Bridge Conservation Area
The Sowerby Bridge Conservation Area covers about 25 hectares and was designated by Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council in 1984. Inside the boundary are 32 listed buildings (1 Grade II*, 31 Grade II). The most significant is The Wet Dock, Grade II*. 3 Tree Preservation Order records overlap the area; every other tree here still needs six weeks’ notice before work. Part of the area lies in flood zone 2, 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.
- The Wet DockGrade II*
- 11, 13 and 15, Town Hall StreetGrade II
- 42, 44 and 46 Wharf StreetGrade II
- 75, Wharf StreetGrade II
- 9 Town Hall Street (formerly the Town Hall later used as a Lloyds Bank)Grade II
- Carlton Mill With Attached Weaving ShedGrade II
- Chimney to Carlton MillGrade II
- Christ ChurchGrade II
- County BridgeGrade II
- Former Bolton Brow Methodist Church and Canal WarehouseGrade II
- Former Royal HotelGrade II
- Gateway and Gates Approximately 20 Metres East of East End of Christ ChurchGrade II
- Greenups MillGrade II
- Lock Number 1 Onto Sowerby Basin, Sowerby BridgeGrade II
- Lower Western Block Attached to Carlton Mill at North EndGrade II
- Mill Chimney to West of Crestol House Rochdale Canal Mill Chimney to West of Crestol HouseGrade II
- Numbers 1 and 2 Calder House and Attached StableGrade II
- Railway Bridge With Wall to West and Coal Drops to EastGrade II
- Rochdale Canal Lock Number 2 at West End of Old Causeway, Sowerby BridgeGrade II
- Station SurgeryGrade II
- Stirk BridgeGrade II
- The Bull on the BridgeGrade II
- The Former Sunday SchoolGrade II
- The Jolly SailorGrade II
Show all 32 listed buildings ↓All 32 listed buildings
- The Moorings and Sowerby Marine LimitedGrade II
- The NavigationGrade II
- The Salt WarehouseGrade II
- The ShopGrade II
- Victoria BridgeGrade II
- Wall With 2 Gateways and Gates to West and South of Christ ChurchGrade II
- Walls and Railings, Gates and Gate Piers Enclosing Station Surgery Walls and Railings, Gates and Gatepiers Enclosing Station SurgeryGrade II
- Wharf HouseGrade II
Streets in the conservation area
Streets with listed buildings inside the boundary. Boundaries often split a street — check your exact address.
The council’s appraisal
WEBSowerby Bridge Conservation Area AppraisalCalderdale Metropolitan Borough 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 Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.