About the Headington Hill Conservation Area
The Headington Hill Conservation Area covers about 114 hectares and was designated by Oxford City Council in 1977. Inside the boundary are 10 listed buildings (1 Grade II*, 9 Grade II). The most significant is Headington Hill Hall and attached forecourt wall, Grade II*. 1 Article 4 direction over the area removes further householder rights, on top of the conservation area limits below. 39 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.
- 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.
- Headington Hill Hall and attached forecourt wallGrade II*
- Barn at Cheney FarmGrade II
- Bridge Over Headington Road at Headington Hill HallGrade II
- Gatepiers at HilltopGrade II
- Headington Hill Hall Lodge HouseGrade II
- HilltopGrade II
- South Park commemoration stoneGrade II
- Stone in Warneford Lane Opposite the Entrance to the Warneford HospitalGrade II
- Stone on the North Side of Headington Hill 20 Yards to the East of the BridgeGrade II
- Stone on the South Side of Headington Road 50 Yards East of HilltopGrade II
The council’s appraisal
WEBHeadington Hill Conservation Area AppraisalOxford 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 Oxford City Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.