About the St. Nicholas / Rectory Lane Conservation Area
The St. Nicholas / Rectory Lane Conservation Area covers about 80 hectares and was designated by Stevenage Borough Council in 1982. Inside the boundary are 9 listed buildings (2 Grade I, 1 Grade II*, 6 Grade II). The most significant is Church of Saint Nicholas, Grade I. 1 Article 4 direction over the area removes further householder rights, on top of the conservation area limits below. 107 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.
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.
- StevenageHouseholder 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.
- Church of Saint NicholasGrade I
- Rooks Nest House HowardsGrade I
- The Old BuryGrade II*
- Dominic CottageGrade II
- L-Shaped Outbuilding West of Rooks Nest Farmhouse.Grade II
- MoonhillGrade II
- Priory CottageGrade II
- Rooks Nest FarmhouseGrade II
- The PrioryGrade II
Nearby conservation areas
Boundary and listed buildings from Stevenage Borough Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.