About the Whitworth Street and Princess Street Conservation Area
The Whitworth Street and Princess Street Conservation Area covers about 19 hectares and was designated by Manchester City Council in 1974. Inside the boundary are 44 listed buildings (6 Grade II*, 38 Grade II). The most significant is 103, Princess Street, Grade II*. 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.
- 103, Princess StreetGrade II*
- Asia HouseGrade II*
- Former Refuge Assurance Company OfficesGrade II*
- India House (including Attached Wrought Iron Gateway Linked to Lancaster House)Grade II*
- Lancaster HouseGrade II*
- Police and Fire StationGrade II*
- 101, Princess StreetGrade II
- 104, BLOOM STREET (See details for further address information)Grade II
- 109 and 111, Portland StreetGrade II
- 109, Princess StreetGrade II
- 113-119, Portland StreetGrade II
- 127-133, Portland StreetGrade II
- 2, Harter StreetGrade II
- 27, Sackville StreetGrade II
- 3, Brazil StreetGrade II
- 42 and 44, Sackville StreetGrade II
- 46, Sackville StreetGrade II
- 51 and 53, Richmond StreetGrade II
- 61, Oxford StreetGrade II
- Basil HouseGrade II
- Boundary Wall to Rochdale Canal Between Princess Street and Sackville Street Rochdale Canal Boundary Wall to Canal Street Between Princess Street and Sackville StreetGrade II
- Brazil HouseGrade II
- Bridgewater HouseGrade II
- Central HouseGrade II
Show all 44 listed buildings ↓All 44 listed buildings
- Eastern House Portland HouseGrade II
- Former Electricity Power StationGrade II
- Former Pickles BuildingGrade II
- Former WarehouseGrade II
- Granby HouseGrade II
- Institute of Science and Technology (university of Manchester)Grade II
- Langley BuildingsGrade II
- Lionesse HouseGrade II
- Manchester HouseGrade II
- New Union Public HouseGrade II
- Orient HouseGrade II
- Regency House With Barclays BankGrade II
- Rhodesia HouseGrade II
- Rochdale Canal Boundary Wall to Canal Between Sackville Street and Chorlton StreetGrade II
- Rochdale Canal Lock Number 87, To East of Princess Street, With Cast Iron Footbridge Beside StreetGrade II
- Rochdale Canal Lock Number 88, To East of Oxford StreetGrade II
- St James BuildingsGrade II
- The Palace TheatreGrade II
- The Shena Simon Sixth-Form CollegeGrade II
- Transact 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
WEBWhitworth Street and Princess Street Conservation Area AppraisalManchester 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 Manchester City Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.