About the Essendon Conservation Area
The Essendon Conservation Area covers about 11 hectares and was designated by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council in 1968. Inside the boundary are 20 listed buildings (1 Grade II*, 19 Grade II). The most significant is Church of St Mary the Virgin, Grade II*.
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 St Mary the VirginGrade II*
- 57, High RoadGrade II
- Barn on South Side of Essendon CloseGrade II
- Brown Tomb in Churchyard of Church of St Mary the VirginGrade II
- Church CottagesGrade II
- Cornwallis Tomb in Churchyard of Church of St Mary the VirginGrade II
- Dimsdale Tomb in Churchyard of Church of St Mary the VirginGrade II
- ElmsGrade II
- Essendon CloseGrade II
- Essendon ManorGrade II
- Essendon War MemorialGrade II
- Garden Walls at the VinesGrade II
- Pond CottageGrade II
- Presley Tomb in Churchyard of Church of St Mary the VirginGrade II
- Sherwoods,Beggars Roost, NorcottGrade II
- The LimesGrade II
- The Manor HouseGrade II
- The Salisbury Crest Public HouseGrade II
- WheatsheafsGrade II
- WytmeadGrade II
The council’s appraisal
WEBEssendon Conservation Area AppraisalWelwyn Hatfield Borough 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 Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.