About the Balsham - Village Centre Conservation Area
The Balsham - Village Centre Conservation Area covers about 16 hectares and was designated by South Cambridgeshire District Council in 1995. Inside the boundary are 22 listed buildings (1 Grade I, 21 Grade II). The most significant is Church of Holy Trinity, Grade I. 30 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.
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.
- Church of Holy TrinityGrade I
- 1, 3 and 5, West Wratting RoadGrade II
- 29, High StreetGrade II
- 35 and 37, High StreetGrade II
- 36, High StreetGrade II
- 4, West Wratting RoadGrade II
- 44, High StreetGrade II
- April CottageGrade II
- Bay Tree HouseGrade II
- Black Bull InnGrade II
- Danesbury HouseGrade II
- Dean CottageGrade II
- Four Coffin Tombs, East of Chancel, Holy TrinityGrade II
- Laurel CottagesGrade II
- Long ThatchGrade II
- Nine Chimneys HouseGrade II
- Orchard CottageGrade II
- Park CottageGrade II
- Sutton HallGrade II
- The CedarsGrade II
- The Old VicarageGrade II
- War Memorial in Churchyard, Church of Holy TrinityGrade II
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
WEBBalsham - Village Centre Conservation Area AppraisalSouth Cambridgeshire District 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 South Cambridgeshire District Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.