Planning permission in Birmingham
Most single-storey rear extensions within the national permitted development limits don't need planning permission in Birmingham. The rules are stricter in its 29 conservation areas, where side extensions, two-storey extensions and loft dormers need permission. 11 of its Article 4 areas remove some or all house extension rights. Check your address to see which rules apply.
Birmingham at a glance
- Conservation areas
- 29
- Article 4 areas
- 13
- Protected landscapes
- None
- Planning decisions
- Birmingham City Council
How many conservation areas are there in Birmingham?
Birmingham has 29 conservation areas. In a conservation area, permitted development rights are reduced: side extensions, two-storey extensions, loft dormers and cladding all need planning permission, and many councils add Article 4 directions on top.
- ANCHORAGE ROAD, SUTTON COLDFIELD CONSERVATION AREA
- ASTON HALL AND CHURCH CONSERVATION AREA
- AUSTIN VILLAGE CONSERVATION AREA
- Barnsley Road, Edgbaston Conservation Area
- BOURNVILLE TENANTS CONSERVATION AREA
- BOURNVILLE VILLAGE CONSERVATION AREA
- COLMORE ROW AND ENVIRONS CONSERVATION AREA
- DIGBETH, DERITEND AND BORDESLEY HIGH STREETS CONSERVATION AREA
- EDGBASTON CONSERVATION AREA
- FOUR OAKS CONSERVATION AREA
- GREENFIELD ROAD, HARBORNE CONSERVATION AREA
- HARBORNE OLD VILLAGE CONSERVATION AREA
- HIGH STREET, SUTTON COLDFIELD CONSERVATION AREA
- JEWELLERY QUARTER CONSERVATION AREA
- KINGS NORTON CONSERVATION AREA
- LEE CRESCENT CONSERVATION AREA
- Lozells and Soho Hill Conservation Area
- Moor Pool, Harborne Conservation Area
- Moseley Conservation Area
- NORTHFIELD OLD VILLAGE CONSERVATION AREA
- OLD YARDLEY CONSERVATION AREA
- RYLAND ROAD CONSERVATION AREA
- SCHOOL ROAD, HALL GREEN CONSERVATION AREA
- SELLY PARK AVENUES CONSERVATION AREA
- SELLY PARK CONSERVATION AREA
- ST AGNES, MOSELEY CONSERVATION AREA
- St Augustine's Edgbaston Conservation Area
- STEELHOUSE CITY CENTRE CONSERVATION AREA
- Warwick Barr Conservation Area
Read more: extensions, loft dormers, garden rooms and solar panels in a conservation area.
Does Birmingham have Article 4 directions?
Birmingham has published 13 Article 4 areas. Inside them, some permitted development rights are removed, so work that would normally be allowed needs planning permission.
The rights they remove most often:
- House extensions (Part 1 Class A, in 11 of the areas)
- Porches (Part 1 Class D, in 11 of the areas)
- Hard surfaces, such as paved driveways (Part 1 Class F, in 11 of the areas)
- Painting the outside of a building (Part 2 Class C, in 11 of the areas)
- Other roof alterations, such as rooflights (Part 1 Class C, in 10 of the areas)
- Walls, fences and gates (Part 2 Class A, in 9 of the areas)
- Chimneys, flues and soil pipes (Part 1 Class G, in 8 of the areas)
- Garden buildings and outbuildings (Part 1 Class E, in 6 of the areas)
- Satellite dishes and antennas (Part 1 Class H, in 6 of the areas)
- Loft dormers and other roof extensions (Part 1 Class B, in 5 of the areas)
Directions listed by Birmingham:
- AUSTIN VILLAGE CONSERVATION AREA, ARTICLE 4 (2)
- BOURNVILLE VILLAGE CONSERVATION AREA, ARTICLE 4 (2)
- CITY WIDE HMO
- EDGBASTON CONSERVATION AREA, ARTICLE 4 (2)
- GREENFIELD ROAD, HARBORNE CONSERVATION AREA
- HIGH STREET, SUTTON COLDFIELD CONSERVATION AREA, ARTICLE 4 (2)
- MOOR POOL CONSERVATION AREA, ARTICLE 4(2)
- MOSELEY CONSERVATION AREA, ARTICLE 4 (2)
- OLD YARDLEY CONSERVATION AREA, ARTICLE 4 (2)
- SELLY PARK AVENUES CONSERVATION AREA
- SELLY PARK CONSERVATION AREA
- ST AGNES, MOSELEY CONSERVATION AREA
What is an Article 4 direction?
Is any of Birmingham in a national park, National Landscape or green belt?
- There is green belt in or bordering Birmingham. Householder permitted development rights apply as normal in the green belt, but if you need planning permission, green belt policy limits how much a home can be enlarged.
Listed buildings and protected trees in Birmingham
Listed buildings everywhere in England are recorded by Historic England, and the checker looks for them at every address. Birmingham also publishes 1,498 listed building outlines, which show exactly which building is listed.
Birmingham publishes its tree preservation orders (1,435 areas and individual trees), so we can flag protected trees near an address.
What planning data does Birmingham publish?
| Data | Status | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation area boundaries | Published | 29 |
| Article 4 direction boundaries | Published | 13 |
| Listed building outlines | Published | 1,498 |
| Tree preservation order areas | Published | 1,435 |
| Protected trees | Published | 0 |
Planning work on a home in Birmingham? Put a pin on your house and we'll check it against all of this.
Start a checkOther councils in West Midlands
- Bromsgrove
- Cannock Chase
- Coventry
- Dudley
- East Staffordshire
- Herefordshire
- Lichfield
- Malvern Hills
- Newcastle-under-Lyme
- North Warwickshire
- Nuneaton and Bedworth
- Redditch
- Rugby
- Sandwell
- Shropshire
- Solihull
- South Staffordshire
- Stafford
- Staffordshire Moorlands
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Stratford-on-Avon
- Tamworth
- Telford & Wrekin
- Walsall
- Warwick
- Wolverhampton
- Worcester
- Wychavon
- Wyre Forest
Data from planning.data.gov.uk, published by Birmingham City Council and national bodies under the Open Government Licence, last updated here on 31 October 2026. Birmingham City Council website.