Planning permission in Cambridge

Most single-storey rear extensions within the national permitted development limits don't need planning permission in Cambridge. The rules are stricter in its 18 conservation areas, where side extensions, two-storey extensions and loft dormers need permission. Check your address to see which rules apply.

How many conservation areas are there in Cambridge?

Cambridge has 18 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.

• Barrow Road
• Brooklands Avenue
• Castle and Victoria Road
• Chesterton
• Conduit Head Road
• De Freville
• Ferry Lane
• Historic Core
• Howes Place
• Kite
• Mill Road
• Newnham Croft
• New Town and Glisson Road
• Riverside
• Southacre
• Storey's Way
• Trumpington
• West Cambridge

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

Does Cambridge have Article 4 directions?

Cambridge has published 19 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:

• Part 11 Class B (Part 11 Class B, in 17 of the areas)
• Walls, fences and gates (Part 2 Class A, in 1 of the areas)
• Hard surfaces, such as paved driveways (Part 1 Class F, in 1 of the areas)
• Chimneys, flues and soil pipes (Part 1 Class G, in 1 of the areas)
• Painting the outside of a building (Part 2 Class C, in 1 of the areas)

Directions listed by Cambridge:

• Accordia
• Rhode Island (formerly the Unicorn Public House)
• Robin Hood Public House
• The Blue Moon Public House (formerly Man On the Moon)
• The Carlton Arms Public House
• The Corner House Public House
• The Duke of Cambridge Public House (formerly the Bakers)
• The Golden Hind Public House
• The Jenny Wren Public House
• The Med Public House
• The Milton Arms Public House
• The Rock Public House
• The Seven Stars Public House
• The Ship Public House
• The Snug Public House
• The Waterman Public House
• The Wrestlers Public House
• Travellers Rest

What is an Article 4 direction?

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

• There is green belt in or bordering Cambridge. 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 Cambridge

Listed buildings everywhere in England are recorded by Historic England, and the checker looks for them at every address. Cambridge also publishes 839 listed building outlines, which show exactly which building is listed.

Cambridge publishes its tree preservation orders (6,050 areas and individual trees), so we can flag protected trees near an address.

What planning data does Cambridge publish?

Other councils in East of England

• Babergh
• Basildon
• Bedford
• Braintree
• Breckland
• Brentwood
• Broadland
• Broxbourne
• Castle Point
• Central Bedfordshire
• Chelmsford
• Colchester
• Dacorum
• East Cambridgeshire
• East Hertfordshire
• East Suffolk
• Epping Forest
• Fenland
• Great Yarmouth
• Harlow
• Hertsmere
• Huntingdonshire
• Ipswich
• King's Lynn and West Norfolk
• Luton
• Maldon
• Mid Suffolk
• North Hertfordshire
• North Norfolk
• Norwich
• Peterborough
• Rochford
• South Cambridgeshire
• South Norfolk
• Southend-on-Sea
• St Albans City and
• Stevenage
• Tendring
• Three Rivers
• Thurrock
• Uttlesford
• Watford
• Welwyn Hatfield
• West Suffolk

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