Conservation areas

Conservation areas

Conservation areas can cover:

• the whole or part of a village
• part of a town
• a single street

They are areas of distinct character, which we wish to conserve and improve.

There are now 44 conservation areas in West Norfolk. They range from large conservation areas covering the older parts of central King's Lynn, to the conservation area at Burnham Overy Mills covering a small group of important buildings on the North Coast.

To see if you're in a conservation area, you can view the conservation area boundaries on a map, using our MyNearest facility. Please enter your postcode, select 'Planning' and then 'Conservation Areas'.

View conservation area boundaries

Conservation Area Character Statements

We have published Conservation Area Character Statements for the areas below. Each Character Statement in our table gives information about the conservation area, including:

• it's origins
• it's historical development
• an area map

New developments

Any new development in a conservation area will need to be of a high standard. It will need to fit in with the character of the area, and we will give special attention to this. We'll also give the same considerations to more minor proposals, such as extensions. These can spoil the appearance of a conservation area unless carefully handled. We also place importance on the quality of:

• landscaping
• planting schemes
• paving
• lighting
• street furniture and advertisements

Article 4 Direction

In King's Lynn, and New Houghton, there are stricter controls because an Article 4 Direction applies. This means that any external alterations to buildings must have planning permission before the work is carried out. This includes:

• painting
• replacement window frames
• different roof tiles
• external cladding to walls
• new garages, sheds or outbuildings

There are other Article 4 Areas within the borough and these can be found using MyNearest section of our website. Please enter your postcode, select 'Planning' and then 'Article 4 areas'.

Trees in conservation areas

In designated conservation areas, six weeks’ notice is required before carrying out any work to, or felling a tree. For further information please see our Trees in conservation areas page.

Further information

For further information, please visit Historic England, or visit the Planning Portal conservation areas webpage. We also have a guidance leaflet, 'The effects of conservation area designation'.

Shop fronts guide

You can find out about appropriate shop fronts in conservation areas, in our shop front guide.