Planning permission in Buckinghamshire

Most single-storey rear extensions within the national permitted development limits don't need planning permission in Buckinghamshire. The rules are stricter in its 187 conservation areas, where side extensions, two-storey extensions and loft dormers need permission. Check your address to see which rules apply.

Buckinghamshire at a glance

Conservation areas: 187
Article 4 areas: 389
Protected landscapes: Chilterns
Planning decisions: Buckinghamshire Council

How many conservation areas are there in Buckinghamshire?

Buckinghamshire has 187 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.

Abbotsbrook
Adstock
Akeley
Alscot
Amersham
Amersham Hill
Ashendon
Askett
Aston Abbotts
Aston Sandford
Aylesbury Town
Beachampton
Beaconsfield Old Town
Berghers Hill
Bierton
Bishopstone
Bledlow
Botolph Claydon
Boveney
Bradenham
Brill
Buckingham
Buckland
Burnham
Cadmore End
Cadmore End Common
Chackmore
Chalfont St Giles
Chearsley
Chenies and Latimer
Chesham
Chesham Bois
Chetwode
Chilton
Cholesbury and Hawridge
Church End
Clapton Mill
Coleshill Village
Cowley Lock
Crafton
Cublington
Cuddington
Denham
Dinton, Westlington, Upton and Gibraltar
Dorney
Downley Common
Drayton Beauchamp
Drayton Parslow
Ellesborough
Elm Close
Farnham Royal
Fawley Court
Fawley Green
Fingest
Four Ashes
Framewood Road
Frieth
Fulmer
Gawcott
Gerrards Cross Centenary
Gerrards Cross Common
Gold Hill East
Great Brickhill
Great Hampden
Great Horwood
Great Missenden
Grendon Underwood
Haddenham
Halton
Hambleden
Hampden Hill
Hampden House
Hardwick
Harleyford and Wittington
Hartwell
Hedgerley Green
Hedgerley Village
Hedsor Road and Riversdale
Henley, Main
High Wycombe
Hillesden Hamlet
Horsenden
Hughendon Manor
Hulcott
Huntercombe
Ickford
Ilmer
Iver
Ivinghoe
Jordans
Lacey Green
Lane End
Leigh Street Furniture Heritage, High Wycombe
Lillingstone Lovell
Little Horwood
Little Marlow
Little Missenden
Long Crendon
Loosley Row
Ludgershall
Maids Moreton
Marlow
Marsh Gibbon
Marsworth
Meadle
Medmenham
Mentmore
Middle Claydon
Mill End Hambleden
Monks Risborough
Mursley
Nash
Nether Winchendon
Newton Longville
Northend
North Marston
North Park and Kingsway, Chalfont St Peter
Oving
Owlswick
Padbury
Penn and Tylers Green
Penn and Tylers Green Conservation Area
Penn Street
Pheasant's Hill
Preston Bissett
Princes Risborough
Priory Avenue
Quainton
Radclive
Ringshall
Sedrup
Shalstone
Shardeloes Park
Sheepridge
Shipton
Singleborough
Skirmett
Soulbury
Southend Common
Speen
Stewkley
Stoke Green
Stoke Hammond
Stokenchurch
Stoke Park
Stoke Poges West End
Stone
Stowe
Swanbourne
Taplow
Taplow Riverside
Terriers
Thame
The Common Flackwell Heath
The Firs Estate
The Lee
Thornborough
Tingewick
Totteridge
Turville
Turville Heath
Turweston
Upper North Dean
Uxbridge Lock
Waddesdon
Walton Road
Water Stratford
Watery Lane
Weedon
Well End
Weller Estate
Wendover
Wendover Road
Westbury
Weston Turville
West Wycombe
Whaddon
Wheeler End Common
Whitchurch
Whiteleaf
Wing
Wingrave
Winslow
Wooburn Green
Wooburn Town
Wotton Underwood
Wycombe Abbey

Read more: extensions, loft dormers, garden rooms and solar panels in a conservation area.

Does Buckinghamshire have Article 4 directions?

Buckinghamshire has published 389 Article 4 areas. Inside them, some permitted development rights are removed, so work that would normally be allowed needs planning permission.

389 of the published areas don't say which rights they remove. Our checker tells people at those addresses to check with the council.

What is an Article 4 direction?

Is any of Buckinghamshire in a national park, National Landscape or green belt?

National Landscape (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) in or bordering Buckinghamshire: Chilterns.
There is green belt in or bordering Buckinghamshire. 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.

National parks and National Landscapes restrict permitted development in similar ways to conservation areas. Read more: extensions, loft dormers and garden rooms.

Listed buildings and protected trees in Buckinghamshire

Listed buildings everywhere in England are recorded by Historic England, and the checker looks for them at every address. Buckinghamshire also publishes 5,877 listed building outlines, which show exactly which building is listed.

Buckinghamshire publishes its tree preservation orders (16,009 areas and individual trees), so we can flag protected trees near an address.

What planning data does Buckinghamshire publish?

Planning data published by Buckinghamshire Council
Data	Status	Records
Conservation area boundaries	Published	187
Article 4 direction boundaries	Published	389
Listed building outlines	Published	5,877
Tree preservation order areas	Published	8,418
Protected trees	Published	7,591

Planning work on a home in Buckinghamshire? Put a pin on your house and we'll check it against all of this.

Start a check

Other councils in South East

Data from planning.data.gov.uk, published by Buckinghamshire Council and national bodies under the Open Government Licence, last updated here on 31 October 2026. Buckinghamshire Council website.