About the City Centre Conservation Area
The City Centre Conservation Area covers about 18 hectares and was designated by Plymouth City Council in 2019. Inside the boundary are 8 listed buildings, all Grade II. 1 Article 4 direction over the area removes further householder rights, on top of the conservation area limits below. 1 Tree Preservation Order record 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.
- HMOs Mutley, Greenbank, City Centre and surrounding areasHouseholder 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.
- Baptist ChurchGrade II
- Clock TowerGrade II
- Council House and former Civic CentreGrade II
- Former Barclays Bank BuildingGrade II
- Royal Bank of ScotlandGrade II
- The Bank Public HouseGrade II
- Theatre Royal PlymouthGrade II
- Unitarian ChurchGrade II
The council’s appraisal
WEBCity Centre Conservation Area AppraisalPlymouth 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 Plymouth City Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.