About the Church Hill Conservation Area
The Church Hill Conservation Area covers about 6.0 hectares and was designated by Dartford Borough Council in 1998. Inside the boundary are 6 listed buildings (1 Grade I, 5 Grade II). The most significant is Church of St Michael, Grade I. 14 Tree Preservation Order records overlap the area; every other tree here still needs six weeks’ notice before work.
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.
- HMO Article 4(1) Direction North Order 2025Change of use
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 MichaelGrade I
- Family Vault of George Russell Esquire of Wilmington Hall to South East of Church of St MichaelGrade II
- Hulse Memorial in Churchyard to South West of Church of St MichaelGrade II
- Monument to Edward Howe to North of Church of St MichaelGrade II
- Tomb to William Hobbs in Churchyard to South East of Church of St MichaelGrade II
- Wilmington HouseGrade II
The council’s appraisal
WEBChurch Hill Conservation Area AppraisalDartford 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 Dartford Borough Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.