About the Hestercombe Conservation Area
The Hestercombe Conservation Area covers about 61 hectares and was designated by Somerset Council in 1998. Inside the boundary are 10 listed buildings (2 Grade I, 3 Grade II*, 5 Grade II). The most significant is Garden Walls, Paving and Steps on the South Front of Hestercombe House, Grade I.
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.
- Garden Walls, Paving and Steps on the South Front of Hestercombe HouseGrade I
- Orangery, About 50 Metres East of Hestercombe HouseGrade I
- Hestercombe HouseGrade II*
- The Mausoleum in the Grounds of Hestercombe HouseGrade II*
- The Temple North North East of Hestercombe HouseGrade II*
- Barn Complex and Waterwheel Abutting East Side of Dutch GardenGrade II
- Barn, Wall on North Front Linking to Dutch Garden, Wall on South Front Continued For About 100 MetresGrade II
- Former Kitchen and Pleasure Garden Walls at Hestercombe GardensGrade II
- Middle Lodge and detached outbuildingGrade II
- South LodgeGrade II
The council’s appraisal
WEBHestercombe Conservation Area AppraisalSomerset 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 Somerset Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.