About the Sawston Conservation Area
The Sawston Conservation Area covers about 27 hectares and was designated by South Cambridgeshire District Council in 1974. Inside the boundary are 35 listed buildings (2 Grade I, 1 Grade II*, 32 Grade II). The most significant is Parish Church of St Mary, Grade I. 37 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 3, 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.
- 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.
- Parish Church of St MaryGrade I
- Sawston HallGrade I
- Queen's Head InnGrade II*
- 105, High StreetGrade II
- 26, High StreetGrade II
- 54, High StreetGrade II
- 58 and 60, High StreetGrade II
- 61, High StreetGrade II
- 82, High StreetGrade II
- 84, High StreetGrade II
- Ariel CottageGrade II
- Bake HouseGrade II
- BrooklandsGrade II
- Chest Tomb Beside East Churchyard Boundary Wall and to the East of the Parish Church of St MaryGrade II
- Dovecot John Faulker Primary SchoolGrade II
- Former Engine House at Hutchings and Harding LtdGrade II
- Garden Ornament in Courtyard of Sawston HallGrade II
- Gate Piers to Sawston HallGrade II
- Goslings FarmhouseGrade II
- Ivy HouseGrade II
- Manor CottageGrade II
- No.108 and the GroveGrade II
- Number 115 (the Firs) and Number 117Grade II
- Pump in Courtyard of Sawston HallGrade II
Show all 35 listed buildings ↓All 35 listed buildings
- Sunnyside and Vine CottageGrade II
- Telephone Kiosk Near Sawston HallGrade II
- The Black Bull InnGrade II
- The BrookGrade II
- The Crust Warehouse at Hutchings and Hardings LtdGrade II
- The OrchardsGrade II
- The Woolpack Public HouseGrade II
- Tombstones to East of South Aisle of St Mary's ChurchGrade II
- War Memorial (at Junction With Church Lane)Grade II
- Ward's HouseGrade II
- White Lion InnGrade II
The council’s appraisal
WEBSawston 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.