About the Chesterton Conservation Area
The Chesterton Conservation Area covers about 12 hectares and was designated by Cambridge City Council in 1969. Inside the boundary are 15 listed buildings (2 Grade I, 13 Grade II). The most significant is Chesterton Tower, Grade I. 22 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 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.
- Chesterton TowerGrade I
- Church of St AndrewGrade I
- 1, Chapel StreetGrade II
- 214 Chesterton RoadGrade II
- 22, Church StreetGrade II
- 25 and 27, High StreetGrade II
- 5, Chapel StreetGrade II
- 81, High StreetGrade II
- Chesterton HallGrade II
- Chesterton HouseGrade II
- Churchyard and Wall of the Church of St AndrewGrade II
- Pigeon House in Garden of Chesterton HouseGrade II
- The Elms WestcroftGrade II
- The Old Manor HouseGrade II
- The VicarageGrade 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
WEBChesterton Conservation Area AppraisalCambridge City 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 Cambridge City Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.