Planning permission in Cotswold

Most single-storey rear extensions within the national permitted development limits don't need planning permission in Cotswold. The rules are stricter in its 144 conservation areas, where side extensions, two-storey extensions and loft dormers need permission. 8 of its Article 4 areas remove some or all house extension rights. Check your address to see which rules apply.

How many conservation areas are there in Cotswold?

Cotswold has 144 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.

• Ablington Conservation Area
• Adlestrop Conservation Area
• Aldsworth Conservation Area
• Ampney Crucis Conservation Area
• Ampney St Mary Conservation Area
• Ampney St Peter Conservation Area
• Ashley Conservation Area
• Aston Magna Conservation Area
• Aston Subedge Conservation Area
• Avening Conservation Area
• Bagendon Conservation Area
• Barnsley Conservation Area
• Batsford Conservation Area
• Baunton Conservation Area
• Beverston Conservation Area
• Bibury Conservation Area
• Bledington Conservation Area
• Blockley Conservation Area
• Bourton-on-the-Water Conservation Area
• Bourton On the Hill Conservation Area
• Brimpsfield Conservation Area
• Broad Campden Conservation Area
• Broadwell Conservation Area
• Brockhampton Conservation Area
• Calcot Conservation Area
• Calmsden Conservation Area
• Caudle Green Conservation Area
• Chavenage Conservation Area
• Chedworth Conservation Area
• Cherington Conservation Area
• Chipping Campden Conservation Area
• Church Westcote Conservation Area
• Cirencester Park Conservation Area
• Cirencester South Conservation Area
• Cirencester Town Centre Conservation Area
• Clapton-on-the-Hill Conservation Area
• Coberley Conservation Area
• Cold Aston Conservation Area
• Colesbourne Conservation Area
• Coln Rogers Conservation Area
• Coln St Aldwyn Conservation Area
• Coln St Dennis Conservation Area
• Compton Abdale Conservation Area
• Condicote Conservation Area
• Cowley Conservation Area
• Culkerton Conservation Area
• Cutsdean Conservation Area
• Daglingworth Conservation Area
• Daylesford Conservation Area
• Didmarton Conservation Area
• Donnington Conservation Area
• Doughton Highgrove Conservation Area
• Dowdeswell Conservation Area
• Down Ampney Conservation Area
• Driffield Conservation Area
• Duntisbourne Abbots/Duntisbourne Leer Conservation Area
• Duntisbourne Rouse/Middle Conservation Area
• Eastington Conservation Area
• Eastleach Conservation Area
• Ebrington Conservation Area
• Edgeworth Conservation Area
• Elkstone Conservation Area
• Evenlode Conservation Area
• Ewen Conservation Area
• Fairford Conservation Area
• Farmcote Conservation Area
• Farmington Conservation Area
• Ford Conservation Area
• Fossebridge Conservation Area
• Frampton Mansell Conservation Area
• Gloucester Street and River Walk Conservation Area
• Great Barrington Conservation Area
• Great Rissington Conservation Area
• Guiting Power Conservation Area
• Hampen Conservation Area
• Hampnett Conservation Area
• Harnhill Conservation Area
• Hatherop Conservation Area
• Hazleton Conservation Area
• Hidcote Bartrim Conservation Area
• Hidcote Boyce Conservation Area
• Icomb Conservation Area
• Kemble Conservation Area
• Kemble Station Conservation Area
• Kempsford Conservation Area
• Kingscote Conservation Area
• Lechlade Conservation Area
• Leighterton Conservation Area
• Little Barrington Conservation Area
• Little Rissington Conservation Area
• Longborough Conservation Area
• Longfords Mills Conservation Area
• Long Newnton Conservation Area
• Lower Slaughter Conservation Area
• Lower Swell Conservation Area
• Meysey Hampton Conservation Area
• Mickleton Conservation Area
• Moreton-In-Marsh Conservation Area
• Naunton Conservation Area
• Nether Westcote Conservation Area
• North Cerney Conservation Area
• Northleach Conservation Area
• Notgrove Conservation Area
• Oddington Conservation Area
• Ozleworth Conservation Area
• Paxford Conservation Area
• Poulton Conservation Area
• Preston Conservation Area
• Quenington Conservation Area
• Rendcomb Conservation Area
• Rodmarton Conservation Area
• Saintbury Conservation Area
• Salperton Conservation Area
• Sapperton Conservation Area
• Sevenhampton Conservation Area
• Sezincote Conservation Area
• Sherborne Conservation Area
• Shipton Conservation Area
• Shipton Moyne Conservation Area
• Somerford Keynes Conservation Area
• South Cerney Conservation Area
• Southrop Conservation Area
• Stow On the Wold With Maugersbury Conservation Area
• Stratton Conservation Area
• Syde Conservation Area
• Tarlton Conservation Area
• Temple Guiting Conservation Area
• Tetbury Conservation Area
• Thames Severn Canal (Coates Section) Conservation Area
• Thames Severn Canal (Sapperton Section) Conservation Area
• Todenham Conservation Area
• Turkdean Conservation Area
• Upper Slaughter Conservation Area
• Upper Swell Conservation Area
• Westonbirt Conservation Area
• Weston Subedge Conservation Area
• Whittington Conservation Area
• Willersey Conservation Area
• Windrush Conservation Area
• Winson Conservation Area
• Winstone Conservation Area
• Withington Conservation Area
• Wyck Rissington Conservation Area
• Yanworth Conservation Area

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

Does Cotswold have Article 4 directions?

Cotswold has published 22 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:

• Walls, fences and gates (Part 2 Class A, in 10 of the areas)
• Painting the outside of a building (Part 2 Class C, in 9 of the areas)
• House extensions (Part 1 Class A, in 8 of the areas)
• Loft dormers and other roof extensions (Part 1 Class B, in 8 of the areas)
• Other roof alterations, such as rooflights (Part 1 Class C, in 8 of the areas)
• Porches (Part 1 Class D, in 8 of the areas)
• Garden buildings and outbuildings (Part 1 Class E, in 8 of the areas)
• Chimneys, flues and soil pipes (Part 1 Class G, in 8 of the areas)
• Satellite dishes and antennas (Part 1 Class H, in 8 of the areas)
• Part 31 Class A (Part 31 Class A, in 8 of the areas)

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

Directions listed by Cotswold:

• Article 4 (2) Direction Avening
• Article 4 (2) Direction Bibury
• Article 4 (2) Direction Blockley
• Article 4 (2) Direction Bourton-On-The-Water
• Article 4 (2) Direction Didmarton
• Article 4 (2) Direction Lower Oddington
• Article 4 (2) Direction Mickleton
• Article 4 (2) Direction South Cerney
• Article 4 Direction Adjacent To the A435 Cheltenham Road
• Article 4 Direction Bath Road Tetbury
• Article 4 Direction Chipping Campden
• Article 4 Direction East Lodge Cottage Brockhampton
• Article 4 Direction Land Parcel West of St Lawrences Church
• Article 4 Direction Lower Slaughter Land Adj Manor House Class IV
• Article 4 Direction Lower Slaughter Land Adj Manor House Class VI / XXII
• Article 4 Direction Lower Slaughter Land Adj To the Mill Class II / IV
• Article 4 Direction Lower Slaughter Land Adj To the Mill Class V / VI / VII / XXII
• Article 4 Direction Moreton In Marsh Hospital
• Article 4 Direction Ozleworth Bottom Wortley
• Article 4 Direction Washbournes Place Lower Slaughter Class IV
• Article 4 Direction Washbournes Place Lower Slaughter Class VI
• Article 4 Direction Waterhead Barn

What is an Article 4 direction?

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

• National Landscape (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) in or bordering Cotswold: Cotswolds.
• There is green belt in or bordering Cotswold. 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 Cotswold

Listed buildings everywhere in England are recorded by Historic England, and the checker looks for them at every address. Cotswold also publishes 5,016 listed building outlines, which show exactly which building is listed.

Cotswold publishes its tree preservation orders (3,529 areas and individual trees), so we can flag protected trees near an address.

What planning data does Cotswold publish?

Other councils in South West

• Bath and North East Somerset
• Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
• Bristol
• Cheltenham
• Cornwall
• Dorset
• East Devon
• Exeter
• Forest of Dean
• Gloucester
• Isles of Scilly
• Mid Devon
• North Devon
• North Somerset
• Plymouth
• Somerset
• South Gloucestershire
• South Hams
• Stroud
• Swindon
• Teignbridge
• Tewkesbury
• Torbay
• Torridge
• West Devon
• Wiltshire

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