About the South Benfleet Conservation Area
The South Benfleet Conservation Area covers about 6.6 hectares and was designated by Castle Point Borough Council in 1988. Inside the boundary are 12 listed buildings (1 Grade I, 1 Grade II*, 10 Grade II). The most significant is Church of St Mary the Virgin, Grade I. 1 Article 4 direction over the area removes further householder rights, on top of the conservation area limits below. 52 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.
Article 4 directions here
These overlap the conservation area. Householder directions remove more of the rights above; change-of-use ones don’t affect extending a house.
- South BenfleetHouseholder works
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.
- Church of St Mary the VirginGrade I
- The Anchor Inn and Building Attached to RightGrade II*
- 5 and 7, The CloseGrade II
- Benfleet Conservative ClubGrade II
- Group of 4 Headstones Between 18 and 22 Metres South East of South Porch of Church of St Mary the VirginGrade II
- South Benfleet War MemorialGrade II
- Street Lamp Outside 7 the CloseGrade II
- Street Lamp to West of Number 23 High StreetGrade II
- Table Tomb Approximately 14 Metres South of South Porch of Church of St Mary the VirginGrade II
- The Half Crown InnGrade II
- The Hoy and Helmet InnGrade II
- Tombstone of Sir Charles Nicholson and familyGrade II
The council’s appraisal
WEBSouth Benfleet Conservation Area AppraisalCastle Point 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 Castle Point Borough Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.