About the Keswick Conservation Area
The Keswick Conservation Area covers about 56 hectares and was designated by Lake District National Park in 1981. Inside the boundary are 33 listed buildings (1 Grade I, 2 Grade II*, 30 Grade II). The most significant is Greta House, Grade I. 1 Article 4 direction over the area removes further householder rights, on top of the conservation area limits below. 29 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 2, 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.
- Keswick Town CentreHouseholder 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.
- Greta HouseGrade I
- Church of St JohnGrade II*
- The Moot HallGrade II*
- 10-15, Borrowdale RoadGrade II
- 123 and 125, Main StreetGrade II
- 17-23, St John's StreetGrade II
- 2, Eskin StreetGrade II
- 25, St John's StreetGrade II
- 3, Penrith RoadGrade II
- 36-50, St John's StreetGrade II
- 4 and 6, Derwent StreetGrade II
- 4 and 6, Eskin StreetGrade II
- 6-12, Police Station CourtGrade II
- 8 and 10, Eskin StreetGrade II
- 85-91, Main StreetGrade II
- Central HotelGrade II
- County HotelGrade II
- Formerly Mayson's ShopGrade II
- George HotelGrade II
- Heads HouseGrade II
- Keswick Railway Station Building and PlatformGrade II
- Keswick War MemorialGrade II
- King's Arms HotelGrade II
- Oak Cottage Oak LodgeGrade II
Show all 33 listed buildings ↓All 33 listed buildings
- Oddfellows Arms Public HouseGrade II
- Packhorse Inn Including Attached Former StablesGrade II
- Police Station and Magistrates CourtGrade II
- Priorholm HotelGrade II
- Royal Oak HotelGrade II
- Small Outbuilding Opposite Packhorse Inn and Behind Ye Olde FriarsGrade II
- The Bank TavernGrade II
- The Bridge CaféGrade II
- The Dog and Gun Public HouseGrade 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
WEBKeswick Conservation Area AppraisalLake District National Park’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 Lake District National Park and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.