About the Maidstone, Chillington House Conservation Area
The Maidstone, Chillington House Conservation Area covers about 2.5 hectares and was designated by Maidstone Borough Council in 1974. Inside the boundary are 13 listed buildings (2 Grade II*, 11 Grade II). The most significant is Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery (Chillington House), Grade II*. 1 Article 4 direction over the area removes further householder rights, on top of the conservation area limits below. 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.
- The Maidstone Town Centre Primary Shopping AreaHouseholder 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.
- Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery (Chillington House)Grade II*
- The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment CenotaphGrade II*
- 2 Columns From St Faith's Chapel Boxley and One Column From Boxley AbbeyGrade II
- 60, 62 and 62A St Faith's Street (incorporates 1 Nelson's Yard)Grade II
- 9, WatersideGrade II
- Finial From the House of Commons Debating ChamberGrade II
- Pavement adjacent to 29 to 39 St Faith's StreetGrade II
- Pavement and Embankment Wall Outside Nos 60 and 62Grade II
- Royal AlbionGrade II
- Sir John Banks AlmshousesGrade II
- Statue Set on Stone PlinthGrade II
- The Old Water ConduitGrade II
- Wall and Gatepiers to Rear of Chillington HouseGrade II
The council’s appraisal
WEBMaidstone, Chillington House Conservation Area AppraisalMaidstone 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 Maidstone Borough Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.