About the St Margaret's Bay Conservation Area
The St Margaret's Bay Conservation Area covers about 27 hectares and was designated by Dover District Council in 1990. Inside the boundary is 1 listed building, all Grade II. 1 Article 4 direction over the area removes further householder rights, on top of the conservation area limits below. 27 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.
- Article 4(1) Direction No.1 2007, Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995Householder 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.
- Coastguard CottagesGrade II
Nearby conservation areas
Boundary and listed buildings from Dover District Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.