About the Savoy Conservation Area
The Savoy Conservation Area covers about 13 hectares and was designated by City of Westminster in 1981. Inside the boundary are 22 listed buildings (1 Grade I, 3 Grade II*, 18 Grade II). The most significant is Cleopatra's Needle, Grade I. 1 Article 4 direction over the area removes further householder rights, on top of the conservation area limits below. 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.
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.
- Cleopatra's NeedleGrade I
- Belgian Monument to the British NationGrade II*
- Savoy Chapel (the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy)Grade II*
- The Savoy TheatreGrade II*
- 21 Bench Seats Set on Embankment PavementGrade II
- 89 to 95 (consec) Strand, including Nos 2 and 3 Savoy CourtGrade II
- Cheylesmore MemorialGrade II
- Churchyard Railings and GatesGrade II
- Henry Fawcett MemorialGrade II
- Hungerford HouseGrade II
- Imperial Camel Corps MemorialGrade II
- K6 Telephone Kiosk by Hungerford BridgeGrade II
- Lamp post at junction of Carting Lane and StrandGrade II
- Memorial to Sir W S GilbertGrade II
- Sewer Gas Lampstandard Numbered 4Grade II
- Shell Mex HouseGrade II
- Simpson'sGrade II
- Sir Arthur Sullivan MemorialGrade II
- Statue of Robert BurnsGrade II
- Statue of Robert RaikesGrade II
- Statue of Sir Wilfrid LawsonGrade II
- The Savoy HotelGrade II
The council’s appraisal
WEBSavoy 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.