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City Of York Council

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Conservation areas

Conservation areas are areas of special architectural or historical interest. They have extra controls applied to them so that the character of the area can be preserved and enhanced. York has over 30 conservation areas which include the centre of York, Tadcaster road and some historic village settlements.

The extra conservation area planning controls apply to all parts of the character of an area including boundary walls, footpaths, property, walls and trees. Conservation areas may also contain listed buildings. You should contact the council before doing any work to a listed building.

In this section:

  • Article 4(2) directives
    Article 4(2) directive for East Mount Road
  • Conservation areas in York
    You can find maps and descriptions of conservation areas in York in the Local Plan. This document is the basis on which planning decisions are made. Planning decisions can also take notice of emerging policies in the local plan and currently there is a consultation document containing the third set of local plan revisions
  • Conservation area appraisals
    We are undertaking a review of the 35 conservation areas in the authority in line with the latest guidance from English Heritage. Eventually, there will be a conservation area appraisal for each of the designated areas
  • Making changes in a conservation area
    If you want to change anything in a conservation area, such as uproot a tree or alter a footpath, extra planning controls may apply. You usually need conservation area consent to demolish buildings or walls but if your planned change involves a tree you need to apply for permission to carry out work on a tree. You may also need planning permission if you want to put up or alter a structure in a conservation area