Planning permission in Chorley
Most single-storey rear extensions within the national permitted development limits don't need planning permission in Chorley. The rules are stricter in its 9 conservation areas, where side extensions, two-storey extensions and loft dormers need permission. Check your address to see which rules apply.
Chorley at a glance
- Conservation areas
- 9
- Article 4 areas
- See below
- Protected landscapes
- None
- Planning decisions
- Chorley Borough Council
How many conservation areas are there in Chorley?
Chorley has 9 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.
- Abbey Village
- Bretherton
- Brindle
- Croston
- Rivington
- St George's
- St Laurence's
- White Coppice
- Withnell Fold
Read more: extensions, loft dormers, garden rooms and solar panels in a conservation area.
Does Chorley have Article 4 directions?
Chorley hasn't published its Article 4 boundaries as data. Chorley's website lists Article 4 directions covering parts of Croston and Withnell Fold, plus a borough-wide one for houses in multiple occupation (which doesn't affect home extensions). The council's MyMap shows whether a property is covered.
Read Chorley's Article 4 page (checked 29 October 2026).
What is an Article 4 direction?
Is any of Chorley in a national park, National Landscape or green belt?
- There is green belt in or bordering Chorley. 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 Chorley
Listed buildings everywhere in England are recorded by Historic England, and the checker looks for them at every address. Chorley doesn't publish listed building outlines, so where a listed building is recorded near an address, we ask the homeowner to check whether it's theirs.
Chorley doesn't publish its tree preservation orders as data. If there are mature trees near your project, ask the council whether any are protected before you start.
What planning data does Chorley publish?
| Data | Status | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation area boundaries | Published | 9 |
| Article 4 direction boundaries | Not published | 0 |
| Listed building outlines | Not published | 0 |
| Tree preservation order areas | Not published | 0 |
| Protected trees | Not published | 0 |
Planning work on a home in Chorley? Put a pin on your house and we'll check it against all of this.
Start a checkOther councils in North West
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Data from planning.data.gov.uk, published by Chorley Borough Council and national bodies under the Open Government Licence, last updated here on 31 October 2026. Chorley Borough Council website.