About the St Albans - Folly Lane, Garden Fields and the Old Hospital Conservation Area
The St Albans - Folly Lane, Garden Fields and the Old Hospital Conservation Area covers about 18 hectares and was designated by St Albans City and District Council in 1969. Inside the boundary are 2 listed buildings, all Grade II. 53 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.
- Bleak HouseGrade II
- Wall, Railings and Gate Piers to Bleak HouseGrade II
The council’s appraisal
PDFSt Albans - Folly Lane, Garden Fields and the Old Hospital Conservation Area AppraisalSt Albans City and 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 St Albans City and District Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.