About the Otham Conservation Area
The Otham Conservation Area covers about 17 hectares and was designated by Maidstone Borough Council in 1992. Inside the boundary are 15 listed buildings (2 Grade I, 1 Grade II*, 12 Grade II). The most significant is Otham Manor, Grade I. 10 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.
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.
- Otham ManorGrade I
- Synyards, and path between front door and roadGrade I
- Stoneacre and Path Between Front Door and RoadGrade II*
- Belks White CottageGrade II
- Elizabethan Lodge and Tudor CottageGrade II
- Former Oasthouse About 20 Metres North of BelksGrade II
- Garden Wall Terminating About 4 Metres East of South Gable End of Madam TaylorsGrade II
- Greenhill CottageGrade II
- Greenhill HouseGrade II
- Holly Tree HouseGrade II
- Ivy CottageGrade II
- Madam Taylors CottagesGrade II
- Rose CottageGrade II
- The LimesGrade II
- Tulip Cottage and Lilac CottageGrade II
The council’s appraisal
WEBOtham 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.