Planning permission in East Suffolk
Most single-storey rear extensions within the national permitted development limits don't need planning permission in East Suffolk. The rules are stricter in its 52 conservation areas, where side extensions, two-storey extensions and loft dormers need permission. Check your address to see which rules apply.
East Suffolk at a glance
- Conservation areas
- 52
- Article 4 areas
- Not published
- Protected landscapes
- The Broads, Suffolk Coast & Heaths
- Planning decisions
- East Suffolk Council
How many conservation areas are there in East Suffolk?
East Suffolk has 52 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.
- Aldeburgh
- Aldeburgh Park
- Beccles
- Blythburgh
- Bramfield
- Brandeston
- Bromeswell
- Bungay
- Cretingham
- Darsham
- Dennington
- Dunwich
- Earl Soham
- Easton
- Ellingham Mill
- Felixstowe
- Felixstowe South
- Framlingham
- Great Glemham
- Grundisburgh
- Halesworth
- Holton
- Homersfield
- Huntingfield
- Kelsale
- Leiston
- Marlesford
- Melton
- North Lowestoft
- Orford
- Oulton Broad
- Peasenhall (with part of Sibton)
- Pettistree
- Saxmundham
- Saxtead Green
- Shottisham
- Snape Maltings
- Somerleyton
- South Lowestoft
- Southwold
- Southwold Harbour and Walberswick Quay
- Thorpeness
- Tuddenham
- Ufford
- Walberswick
- Wangford
- Westleton
- Wickham Market
- Wissett
- Woodbridge
- Wrentham
- Yoxford
Read more: extensions, loft dormers, garden rooms and solar panels in a conservation area.
Does East Suffolk have Article 4 directions?
East Suffolk hasn't published any Article 4 boundaries on planning.data.gov.uk. Most councils have at least one Article 4 direction, often in conservation areas, so check the council's website or ask its planning team before relying on permitted development.
What is an Article 4 direction?
Is any of East Suffolk in a national park, National Landscape or green belt?
- National park in or bordering East Suffolk: The Broads.
- National Landscape (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) in or bordering East Suffolk: Suffolk Coast & Heaths.
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 East Suffolk
Listed buildings everywhere in England are recorded by Historic England, and the checker looks for them at every address. East Suffolk 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.
East Suffolk 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 East Suffolk publish?
| Data | Status | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation area boundaries | Published | 52 |
| 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 East Suffolk? Put a pin on your house and we'll check it against all of this.
Start a checkOther councils in East of England
- Babergh
- Basildon
- Bedford
- Braintree
- Breckland
- Brentwood
- Broadland
- Broxbourne
- Cambridge
- Castle Point
- Central Bedfordshire
- Chelmsford
- Colchester
- Dacorum
- East Cambridgeshire
- East Hertfordshire
- 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 East Suffolk Council and national bodies under the Open Government Licence, last updated here on 30 October 2026. East Suffolk Council website.