Planning permission in Oldham
Most single-storey rear extensions within the national permitted development limits don't need planning permission in Oldham. The rules are stricter in its 35 conservation areas, where side extensions, two-storey extensions and loft dormers need permission. Check your address to see which rules apply.
Oldham at a glance
- Conservation areas
- 35
- Article 4 areas
- Not published
- Protected landscapes
- Peak District
- Planning decisions
- Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council
How many conservation areas are there in Oldham?
Oldham has 35 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.
- Alexandra Park
- Alexandra Terrace, Moorside
- Bleak Hey Nook
- Boarshurst
- Bottom of Woodhouses
- Crompton Fold
- Delph
- Denshaw
- Diglea
- Dobcross
- Failsworth Pole, Oldham
- Garden Suburb
- Grange
- Grasscroft
- Harrop Green
- Hey
- Hey Top, Greenfield
- Holly Grove
- Ladhill Lane
- Lees
- Lydgate
- New Delph
- Oldham Town Centre
- Park Cottages, Shaw
- Royal George Mills
- Saint James, Shaw
- Saint Paul's, Royton
- Scouthead
- St. Chad's Church, Saddleworth
- Stone Breaks
- Tame Water
- The Old Town Hall, Chadderton
- Uppermill
- Victoria Street, Chadderton
- Woodhouses
Read more: extensions, loft dormers, garden rooms and solar panels in a conservation area.
Does Oldham have Article 4 directions?
Oldham 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 Oldham in a national park, National Landscape or green belt?
- National park in or bordering Oldham: Peak District.
- There is green belt in or bordering Oldham. 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 Oldham
Listed buildings everywhere in England are recorded by Historic England, and the checker looks for them at every address. Oldham also publishes 549 listed building outlines, which show exactly which building is listed.
Oldham 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 Oldham publish?
| Data | Status | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation area boundaries | Published | 36 |
| Article 4 direction boundaries | Not published | 0 |
| Listed building outlines | Published | 549 |
| Tree preservation order areas | Not published | 0 |
| Protected trees | Not published | 0 |
Planning work on a home in Oldham? Put a pin on your house and we'll check it against all of this.
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Data from planning.data.gov.uk, published by Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council and national bodies under the Open Government Licence, last updated here on 30 October 2026. Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council website.