Conservation areas

A conservation area is an area of special architectural or historic interest, and the local council is responsible for identifying, designating and reviewing these areas. Find out more about Knowsley’s conservation areas and planning requirements here.

Requirements for planning permission

General information for householders on when permission is needed is available on the Planning Portal, or you can contact Planning Services directly at dcsubmissions@knowsley.gov.uk

You should check whether you need consent, before making arrangements to start any work. NB if your building is also a listed building, Listed Building Consent may be additionally required.

Under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 certain works may be undertaken without the need for planning permission, and are known as 'permitted development'. Within conservation areas, the extent of ‘permitted development’ is reduced.  This means that in conservation areas a greater range of work needs planning permission. 

You may, for example, require planning permission for extensions, garages, sheds, hardstandings, shopfronts, applying cladding or render, satellite dishes, micro-generation equipment, and erecting boundary fences or walls.  This list is not exhaustive.  In addition to the standard national requirements, the Council can change the types of development that need permission by making Article 4 Directions or can remove ‘permitted development’ rights through planning conditions.

Development affecting conservation areas or their settings will be expected to be of high-quality design which relates to its context.  See Knowsley’s published Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) and the relevant conservation area appraisal and conservation area management plan (above) for further guidance.

Chat with us