CentralConservation Area

About the Central Conservation Area

The Central Conservation Area covers about 268 hectares and was designated by Oxford City Council in 1971. Inside the boundary are 829 listed buildings (105 Grade I, 46 Grade II*, 349 Grade II). The most significant is 126, High Street, Grade I. 2 Article 4 directions over the area remove further householder rights, on top of the conservation area limits below. 27 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.

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 Jericho Article 4 DirectionHouseholder works
• Houses in Multiple Occupation Article 4 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.

• 126, High StreetGrade I
• All Souls College, Front (or South) Quadrangle, Including the Chapel and the South East Range on the High StreetGrade I
• All Souls College, Hall, Kitchen, Buttery and Passage Between Hall and KitchenGrade I
• All Souls College, The Codrington LibraryGrade I
• Balliol College, Library, Front QuadrangleGrade I
• Bastion 12 in New CollegeGrade I
• Bastion 13Grade I
• Bastion 14, On North East Angle of WallGrade I
• Bastion 15Grade I
• Bastion 16Grade I
• Bastion 20Grade I
• Bastion 21Grade I
• Bastion 4 Bastion Number 4Grade I
• Bastion IGrade I
• Bodleian Library and Schools Quadrangle Including the Divinity School and the Convocation HouseGrade I
• Brasenose College, Kitchen Wing, Second QuadrangleGrade I
• Brasenose College, Library, Second QuadrangleGrade I
• Brasenose College, North Range, The Old QuadrangleGrade I
• Brasenose College, West Range, The Old QuadrangleGrade I
• Christchurch, LibraryGrade I
• Christchurch, Mercury Fountain, The Great QuadrangleGrade I
• Church of St GilesGrade I
• Church of St Mary MagdalenGrade I
• Church of St Mary the VirginGrade I

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

Nearby conservation areas