About the Barbican Conservation Area
The Barbican Conservation Area covers about 6.3 hectares and was designated by Gloucester City Council in 1968. Inside the boundary are 8 listed buildings (3 Grade II*, 5 Grade II). The most significant is Bearland House and Attached Railings and Gates to Forecourt, Grade II*. 1 Tree Preservation Order record 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.
- Bearland House and Attached Railings and Gates to ForecourtGrade II*
- Bearland LodgeGrade II*
- Central Block (Wings A & B and Chapel) former Her Majesty's Prison GloucesterGrade II*
- Cell Block (Debtors' Prison) former Her Majesty's Prison GloucesterGrade II
- Governor's House and attached railings, former Her Majesty's Prison GloucesterGrade II
- Old Custom HouseGrade II
- Outer Gatehouse, former Her Majesty's Prison GloucesterGrade II
- Perimeter Wall on the east side of the former Her Majesty's Prison GloucesterGrade II
The council’s appraisal
WEBBarbican Conservation Area AppraisalGloucester 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 Gloucester City Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.