Article 4 Direction - Rottingdean conservation area

Information sheet reference number

EN/CR/IN/A4/47

Date created

2 July 2012

Introduction of additional planning restrictions

An Article 4 Direction has been introduced to provide additional town planning controls for dwellings in Rottingdean Conservation Area. Residents in conservation areas generally anticipate that there will be additional planning controls over and above those that may apply outside conservation areas. These additional national controls have increased over the years.

Now in any conservation area, an owner has not only to obtain the council’s consent before pruning or felling a tree, or carrying out demolition works, but also requires planning permission before building roof extensions or roof dormers, or applying stone, timber or tile cladding to any facade. Planning permission is also required to erect a satellite dish on a chimney or on the front façade or roof slope. Greater restrictions also apply to the size of rear extensions that a house owner may build without planning permission.

Until now however windows, doors and roofs, which are the key architectural elements of any house, could be changed without the need for planning permission, and the appearance of the conservation area could suffer as a consequence.

What has changed

Planning permission is now required for:

• the enlargement, improvement or other alteration of a dwelling (including extensions and altering windows, doors or roof coverings)
• alterations to the roof of a dwellinghouse, including the addition of roof lights
• provision or replacement of a hard surface within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse
• erection of a porch to a dwellinghouse
• alteration, replacement or removal of a chimney stack on a dwellinghouse
• installation, alteration or replacement of solar PV or solar thermal equipment on a dwellinghouse
• demolition, alteration or erection of a boundary wall, fence, railings or a gate to a dwelling
• painting the exterior of a dwelling, where the building has not previously been painted, or where a significant change in colour is proposed

What does not require planning permission

Planning permission is not required to carry out repairs to a property (unless a listed building). You don't need it to replace features ‘like for like’ - for example recovering a concrete tiled roof with concrete tiles or replacing timber sliding sash windows with matching sliding sash windows.

Repainting a previously painted building in a matching colour does not require permission.

A satellite dish up to 100cm in diameter can still be fixed to the rear façade.

Sheds within specified size limits can be erected in rear gardens.

These permitted development rights have not changed.