Renovating in a conservation area in Market Harborough

Short answerIn a Market Harborough conservation area, most internal work on an unlisted house (rewiring, plastering, kitchens, bathrooms) needs no permission, but cladding, side extensions, many roof extensions and demolition of larger buildings do, and most tree work needs six weeks' notice to Harborough District Council. Article 4 directions can remove further rights for specific properties, so ask the council. If the house is listed, internal changes that affect its character need listed building consent too.

Renovating in a conservation area in Market Harborough doesn't mean you can't change anything. It means some work that would normally be "permitted development" needs planning permission, trees need advance notice, and if your house is listed, many internal changes need consent too. Most of what happens inside an unlisted house, such as rewiring, new plaster, kitchens and bathrooms, is not affected at all.

This guide sets out what is and isn't controlled, what is specific to Harborough district, and how to check before you or your tradespeople start. It is general guidance, not legal advice. Always confirm with Harborough District Council for your address.

Is my house in a conservation area?

Harborough District Council looks after more than 60 conservation areas across the district. Locally, these include:

• Market Harborough, covering the historic core of the market town. The council describes it as focused on the High Street and The Square, taking in much of the town centre, with extensions along the approach roads. The council's 2001 conservation area statements list it as designated in 1969.
• Great Bowden, designated in 1974 with its boundary revised in March 2005. It stretches for more than 1.2km and the council notes Great Bowden was the original settlement in whose parish Market Harborough was laid out.
• Foxton, designated in 1975
• Lubenham, designated in 1975, which the council describes as a large village in the Welland valley just west of Market Harborough
• Hallaton, Medbourne and many other villages in the district

The council publishes an online directory of conservation areas with boundary maps. The national planning data service also publishes the boundaries. Check the map for your street, because boundaries don't always follow obvious lines. See our area pages for Great Bowden, Lubenham, Foxton, Little Bowden, Hallaton and Medbourne.

What needs planning permission in a conservation area?

Conservation area status reduces some householder permitted development rights. Typical examples:

• Cladding the outside of a house with stone, artificial stone, pebble dash, render, timber, tiles or plastic needs planning permission.
• Side extensions are not permitted development in a conservation area.
• Dormer windows and roof extensions are restricted. Rules vary by roof slope, so check before designing a loft conversion.
• Demolition: knocking down most or all of an unlisted building over 115 cubic metres (measured externally) needs planning permission. Some walls, gates and fences are also covered.
• Larger rear extensions have tighter limits than outside conservation areas.

Things that usually don't need permission in an unlisted house, conservation area or not:

• Internal work: rewiring, plumbing, replastering, new kitchens and bathrooms, internal doors, fitted wardrobes
• Like-for-like repairs using matching materials
• Redecorating inside

Conservation area status on its own doesn't usually stop you replacing windows on a house. An Article 4 direction can, which is the next thing to check.

Article 4 directions in Harborough

An Article 4 direction removes specific permitted development rights for a particular area, building or piece of land, so work that would normally be allowed needs planning permission. The council explains on its permitted development page that where an area-wide restriction applies, it takes the form of an Article 4 direction.

A local example: in May 2020 the council served an Immediate Article 4 direction on land at Queen's Street, Little Bowden. It means planning permission is needed for things like putting up a gate, fence or wall there, which wouldn't usually need permission.

Article 4 directions elsewhere often cover windows, doors, roofs, porches, boundary walls and painting the outside of a house. We have not found a single published list of every direction in the district, so ask the council directly whether any Article 4 direction applies to your property before ordering windows, doors or a new front boundary. Previous planning permissions can also carry conditions that remove permitted development rights on that specific house.

Trees in a conservation area

Most work to trees in a conservation area, including felling and significant pruning, needs six weeks' written notice to the council (a section 211 notice). This gives the council time to decide whether to protect the tree with a Tree Preservation Order. If it doesn't make an order, you can go ahead once the six weeks are up, as long as the work is done within two years of the notice. The council's tree page lists the exceptions. Trees already covered by a Tree Preservation Order need a full application.

Listed buildings: a different, stricter regime

If your house is listed, the rules are much tighter, and they apply inside as well as out.

• Listed building consent is needed for any works that affect the building's special architectural or historic interest. The law doesn't distinguish between internal and external works.
• Examples that can need consent: removing or altering fireplaces, panelling, staircases, historic plasterwork, original doors and joinery, and changing windows.
• Carrying out unauthorised work to a listed building is a criminal offence, according to Historic England. Problems can also surface when you come to sell.

Harborough District Council's listed buildings page says it cannot offer specific heritage advice, so if you need advice before applying for consent you may need a heritage consultant. You can check whether a building is listed on the National Heritage List for England, run by Historic England.

Materials: what the council encourages

Harborough's Development Management guidance notes that in conservation areas natural materials are best, with real slate or clay tiles encouraged for roofs and good brick for walls. It also describes the district's traditional materials: ironstone mainly in the east, brick increasingly to the west. In older solid-walled houses this has knock-on effects inside too. For example, lime plaster is often better than gypsum on old walls. See lime plaster for old houses in Leicestershire and hanging doors in old houses.

Building Regulations still apply

Planning and listed building consent are separate from Building Regulations. Electrical work still falls under Part P (use an electrician registered with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA or Stroma), and any gas work must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Structural changes, new windows and many extensions also need Building Regulations approval. See how to check an electrician is registered and plumber or gas engineer.

A simple checklist before you start

1. Check the council's conservation area map for your address.
2. Check whether the building is listed on the National Heritage List for England.
3. Ask the council whether any Article 4 direction or planning condition applies.
4. For trees, give six weeks' notice before work.
5. For anything external or structural, consider pre-application advice from the council.
6. Brief your tradespeople. Tell them it is a conservation area or listed building before they quote.
7. Keep any permissions and drawings for when you sell.

How we can help

When we renovated our house, we found that sorting out what needed permission early saved a lot of stress later. We can't give planning advice, but we can put you in touch with the tradespeople we trust, who are used to working in older Market Harborough houses. We're not paid for recommendations. We just pass you to people we trust. See the order of trades in a renovation, how to get good quotes, or browse our carpenters and plasterers.

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