What article 2(3) land is
The Order groups six kinds of land as article 2(3) land: conservation areas designated under section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, areas of outstanding natural beauty (National Landscapes), areas specified under section 41(3) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Broads, National Parks and World Heritage Sites (Sch 1 Pt 1 para 1, art 2(3)). The rules below apply to all of them, not only conservation areas.
What changes, class by class
| Project | On article 2(3) land | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Single-storey rear extension | Still covered within 3 m (4 m detached); the larger home extension route is not available | A.1(g) |
| Side extension | Not permitted development | A.2(b) |
| Rear extension of more than one storey | Not permitted development | A.2(c) |
| Cladding | No cladding of any part of the exterior in stone, artificial stone, pebble dash, render, timber, plastic or tiles | A.2(a) |
| Adding storeys | Class AA not available | AA.1(b)(i) |
| Loft enlargement (dormer, hip-to-gable) | Class B not available | B.1(f) |
| Outbuildings | Nothing between a side wall of the house and the boundary | E.3 |
| Chimneys, flues, soil and vent pipes | Not on a wall or roof slope that fronts a highway and forms the principal or a side elevation | G.1(c) |
| Satellite dishes and antennas | Not on a chimney, wall or roof slope that faces onto and is visible from a highway, and not on a building over 15 m high | H.1(e) |
Rooflights (Class C), porches (Class D), hard surfaces (Class F) and gates, fences and walls (Part 2 Class A) have no extra article 2(3) limits. In a National Landscape, the Broads, a National Park or a World Heritage Site, but not a conservation area, outbuildings more than 20 m from the house are also capped at 10 m² in total (E.2).
Two more rules matter in a conservation area. Councils can make Article 4 directions that remove further rights (art 4). And before cutting down, topping, lopping or uprooting a tree there that has no Tree Preservation Order, you normally have to give the council six weeks' notice (TCPA 1990 s211); see our TPO check.
How we check
You tap your house on the map and confirm the HM Land Registry title outline under the tap. That outline is indicative, not the legal boundary. Where no registered title covers the spot, we use a 10 m circle round your tap. We then test the outline against every conservation area record in the national planning data and report one of four results: inside, boundary crossing the plot, within 5 m but not inside, or not found. A crossing boundary or a near miss is shown as uncertain, because boundaries are drawn to a mapping scale.
Each record also has a source. Where the record is the council's own, we say so. Where it comes from a national compilation rather than the council's feed, we say that too and ask you to confirm with the council, because the boundary may have changed. If the council publishes no live feed of its own and nothing is found, the result is "not published by the council", never "not in a conservation area". More detail is on how we check.
How many councils publish their own data
In our own sample of 300 random English postcodes on 18 October 2026, 161 (53.7%, plus or minus 5.6 percentage points at 95% confidence) were in a council area with a live conservation area feed of its own. Of the 310 planning authorities in our snapshot that day, 135 had a live feed, 15 had a feed that was failing, and 160 had none. The council-by-council list is on what each council publishes.
When your council does not publish
- Look for the conservation area maps or appraisals on the council's website. Find your local council on GOV.UK if you are not sure which council it is.
- Ask the council's planning team whether your address is in a conservation area, and whether any Article 4 direction applies.
- If the answer is unclear, treat the plot as article 2(3) land until the council confirms otherwise, and plan as if the restrictions in the table apply.
What the free check tells you
The free check shows the conservation area result for your plot with its source, alongside National Parks, National Landscapes, World Heritage Sites, SSSIs, Article 4 directions, listed buildings and Tree Preservation Orders. It then gives a headline for each common project, such as a side extension or loft conversion.
For certainty: a Lawful Development Certificate
If the answer turns on whether you are inside a conservation area, apply to your council for a Lawful Development Certificate for proposed works, so that the council itself decides the question (TCPA 1990 s192). The decision is due within 8 weeks of a valid application. See Lawful Development Certificates and planning fees 2026.