Planning permission in Waverley

Most single-storey rear extensions within the national permitted development limits don't need planning permission in Waverley. The rules are stricter in its 44 conservation areas, where side extensions, two-storey extensions and loft dormers need permission. 4 of its Article 4 areas remove some or all house extension rights. Check your address to see which rules apply.

Waverley at a glance

Conservation areas: 44
Article 4 areas: 29
Protected landscapes: South Downs, Surrey Hills
Planning decisions: Waverley Borough Council

How many conservation areas are there in Waverley?

Waverley has 44 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.

ALFOLD
BINSCOMBE GODALMING
Birtley Green Conservation Area
BLACKHEATH WONERSH
BOWLHEAD GREEN THURSLEY
BRAMLEY
Camelsdale and Hammer
Chiddingfold Conservation Area
CRANLEIGH
CROWNPITS GODALMING
DUNSFOLD
ELSTEAD
EWHURST
EWHURST GREEN
FARNHAM
FRENSHAM
Godalming Town Centre Conservation Area
GREAT AUSTINS FARNHAM
Hambledon A & B Conservation Areas
Hascombe Conservation Area
HASLEMERE
Milford Conservation Area
MILLBRIDGE FRENSHAM
MUNSTEAD GODALMING
Ockford Road Conservation Area
OLD CHURCH LANE, FARNHAM
Peper Harow Conservation Area
RIVER WEY AND GODALMING NAVIGATIONS
RIVER WEY HASLEMERE
SANDHILLS WITLEY
SHACKLEFORD
SHAMLEY GREEN
Shepherd and Flock Conservation Area
ST. MARYS DUNSFOLD
THORNCOMBE STREET BRAMLEY
THURSLEY
TILFORD
WAVERLEY ABBEY FARNHAM
WESTBROOK B ELSTEAD
Westbrook Green A & B Conservation Areas
WHEELER STREET WITLEY
Witley Conservation Area
WONERSH
WRECCLESHAM FARNHAM

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

Does Waverley have Article 4 directions?

Waverley has published 29 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 4 Class B (Part 4 Class B, in 15 of the areas)
Walls, fences and gates (Part 2 Class A, in 12 of the areas)
New access onto a road (Part 2 Class B, in 7 of the areas)
Part 5 Class A (Part 5 Class A, in 7 of the areas)
Part 4 Class A (Part 4 Class A, in 7 of the areas)
Part 6 Class B (Part 6 Class B, in 5 of the areas)
Part 5 Class C (Part 5 Class C, in 5 of the areas)
Part 6 Class E (Part 6 Class E, in 5 of the areas)
Part 9 Class E (Part 9 Class E, in 5 of the areas)
Painting the outside of a building (Part 2 Class C, in 4 of the areas)

1 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 Waverley:

Beacon Hill Commercial Area (2022)
Buildings Wood, Horsham Road, Ewhurst (1961)
Farnham Trading Estate, Water Lane, Farnham (1965)
Godalming Station Commercial Area (2022)
Land Adjacent to Wildwood Golf Club Horsham Road, Alfold (2006)
Land at 70 Middle Bourne Lane, Farnham (1966)
Land at George Eliot Close, Witley (2005)
Land at Horsham Road, Alfold (2001)
Land at Potato Copse, Witley (1975)
Land at Runfold and West Farms, Farnham (1975)
Land at Wishanger Farm and New Farm, Frensham (1966)
Land encompassing Lane End and Millbridge (1958)
Land off Salt Lane, Hydestile, Winkworth (1958)
Land West of Green Lane, Farnham (1975)
Long Garden Walk, Farnham (2006)
Lowndes Buildings, Castle Street, Farnham (2006)
Lythe Hill Estate, Haslemere (1976)
Munstead Oaks, Brighton Road, Godalming (1960)
Selected Properties in Chiddingfold (1983)
South of Winterfold House, Barhatch Lane, Cranleigh (1988)
Sunray Poultry Farm, Elstead (1965)
Sydney Farm, Rosemary Lane, Alfold (1986)
West Cottage, 2 School Hill, Wrecclesham (1971)
Wood Farm, Portsmouth Road, Milford (2005)

What is an Article 4 direction?

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

National park in or bordering Waverley: South Downs.
National Landscape (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) in or bordering Waverley: Surrey Hills.
There is green belt in or bordering Waverley. 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 Waverley

Listed buildings everywhere in England are recorded by Historic England, and the checker looks for them at every address. Waverley 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.

Waverley 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 Waverley publish?

Planning data published by Waverley Borough Council
Data	Status	Records
Conservation area boundaries	Published	44
Article 4 direction boundaries	Published	29
Listed building outlines	Not published	0
Tree preservation order areas	Not published	0
Protected trees	Not published	0

Planning work on a home in Waverley? Put a pin on your house and we'll check it against all of this.

Start a check

Other councils in South East

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