About the Chinatown Conservation Area
The Chinatown Conservation Area covers about 3.4 hectares and was designated by City of Westminster in 2005. Inside the boundary are 37 listed buildings, all Grade II. 1 Article 4 direction over the area removes further householder rights, on top of the conservation area limits below.
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.
- Article 4 Basement Development Permitted Rights RemovedHouseholder works
- Article 4 Direction Class E To C3 In Central Activities ZoneChange of use
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.
- 11, Little Newport Street Wc2Grade II
- 12, Gerrard Street W1Grade II
- 14-27, Lisle Street Wc2Grade II
- 14, Little Newport Street Wc2Grade II
- 15, Little Newport Street Wc2Grade II
- 16, Gerrard Street W1Grade II
- 18, Gerrard Street W1Grade II
- 18, Newport Court Wc2Grade II
- 19, Gerrard Street W1Grade II
- 19, Newport Court Wc2Grade II
- 2, Gerrard Place W1Grade II
- 20 AND 20A, NEWPORT COURT WC2 (See details for further address information)Grade II
- 21-24, NEWPORT COURT WC2 (See details for further address information)Grade II
- 22 and 24, Rupert Street W1Grade II
- 25, Newport Court Wc2Grade II
- 26, Newport Court Wc2Grade II
- 26, Rupert Street W1Grade II
- 27, WARDOUR STREET W1 (See details for further address information)Grade II
- 3, Gerrard Street W1Grade II
- 30, Gerrard Street W1Grade II
- 31, Gerrard Street W1Grade II
- 36, Gerrard Street W1Grade II
- 39, Gerrard Street W1Grade II
- 4 and 5, Gerrard Street W1Grade II
Show all 37 listed buildings ↓All 37 listed buildings
- 4-8, NEWPORT PLACE WC2 (See details for further address information)Grade II
- 40, Gerrard Street W1Grade II
- 41 and 43, Wardour Street W1Grade II
- 41, Gerrard Street W1Grade II
- 47, Gerrard Street W1Grade II
- 6, Gerrard Street W1Grade II
- 7 and 9, Wardour Street W1Grade II
- 8-10, Little Newport Street Wc2Grade II
- 9, Gerrard Street W1Grade II
- Former Rialto Cinema and Cafe De ParisGrade II
- LISLE STREET WC2 (See details for further address information)Grade II
- St John's Hospital for Diseases of the SkinGrade II
- The Blue Posts Public HouseGrade II
The council’s appraisal
WEBChinatown Conservation Area AppraisalCity of Westminster’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 City of Westminster and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.