About the Woburn Sands Conservation Area
The Woburn Sands Conservation Area covers about 14 hectares and was designated by Milton Keynes City Council in 2010. Inside the boundary are 2 listed buildings, all Grade II. 1 Article 4 direction over the area removes further householder rights, on top of the conservation area limits below. 8 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.
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.
- Article 4 Direction relating to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HIMO) - Non immediate directionHouseholder 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.
- Shelton HouseGrade II
- Woburn Sands and Aspley Heath War MemorialGrade II
The council’s appraisal
WEBWoburn Sands Conservation Area AppraisalMilton Keynes 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 Milton Keynes City Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.