Protected buildings and conservation areas

Redbridge has many areas and buildings that are historically or architecturally interesting. The Redbridge Local Plan includes policies to protect these special areas and buildings.

You can find and view these buildings and areas on our map under the category planning and land

Conservation areas 

Conservation areas have special architectural or historic interest. Extra planning rules apply to them to help preserve or enhance their character and protect their settings. 

Redbridge has 16 conservation areas. If you live in one of these areas there is guidance which has advice on how to improve your homes. 

The Conservation Area Management Proposals document (PDF 6 MB) covers all the conservation areas within Redbridge. We also have specific guidance for individual conservation areas.

Guidance by conservation area

Aldersbrook and Lake House Estate

Barnardo's Village Homes

  • No adopted guidance for this Conservation Area.

The Bungalow Estate (was Mayfield)

Claybury

George Lane

  • No adopted guidance for this Conservation Area.

Little Heath

Snaresbrook

South Woodford

Valentines Mansion

  • No adopted guidance for this Conservation Area.

Wanstead Park

Wanstead Grove

Wanstead Village

Woodford Bridge

Woodford Broadway

Woodford Green and Woodford Wells

Listed buildings

Listed buildings are buildings or structures with special architectural or historic interest. They have a special status in planning law. 

All listed buildings are included on a national register called the ‘Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest’, managed by Historic England

When a building is listed, the entire building is protected, including the interior, and:

  • any object or structure fixed to the listed building
  • any structure built before 1948 within the grounds (officially known as the 'curtilage') of the listed building, including: 
  • outbuildings
  • garden walls and other boundary structures
  • gates 
  • in some cases, brick paths and terraces

Statutory listed buildings are designated by English Heritage and are protected through special planning controls. 

Some buildings have local architectural or historic interest or contribute to the character of Redbridge. We maintain a list of these buildings and work to preserve them. 

If you want to recommend a building for listing, visit Historic England’s apply for listing page

Works to a listed building

Most works to a listed building require listed building consent. It is a criminal offence to demolish, alter or extend a listed building without listed building consent. Penalties are usually a fine or even a term of imprisonment. 

We strongly encourage getting professional advice before undertaking your project. We recommend contacting a private heritage planning architect/agent.

Article 4 direction

An Article 4 Direction creates extra planning controls in particular locations in Redbridge. It removes some development rights over certain alterations, such as: 

  • new porches
  • replacement windows and doors
  • replacement roof coverings
  • the exterior painting of a building

If an Article 4 Direction applies to your property, you need to submit a planning application for any changes so we can give you advice about the best methods, design and materials for your works. 

Redbridge Article 4 directions 

The following is a list of all the Article 4 Directions in Redbridge. Each link has the Article 4 document and associated maps.

Local Heritage List

A Local Heritage List is a list of the heritage assets in an area that do not have statutory protection but have enough special character and historic interest to deserve local protection. These can be:

  • buildings
  • monuments
  • sites
  • places
  • areas 
  • landscapes 

It’s been decided they should be considered in planning decisions even though they are not designated heritage assets.

Non-designated heritage assets can be identified in a number of ways. One of them is through a Local Heritage List.

Redbridge Local Heritage List

In 2023 Redbridge Council reviewed and updated its list of locally listed buildings, structures, and list of locally designated areas (the Local List). The list includes the documents linked below which make up the Local Heritage List for the London Borough of Redbridge. 

Content

Local Heritage List Facing Document

The Local Heritage List Facing Document is an overview of the appendices in the Local Heritage List. 

It sets out the content of the Local Heritage List and includes:

  • the full list of locally designated buildings and structures in the borough,
  • the list of Local Character Areas, formally known as Residential Precincts
  • entries that were included in the previous Local List but are now removed from the final Local Heritage List, including buildings or structures that are now statutory listed, demolished, or heavily altered and lost heritage value. 

Local character areas, formerly residential precincts

Residential precincts are now known as local character areas. Some of these have been removed from the Local Heritage List because they have become conservation areas or have lost heritage value. 

The list of Local Character Areas (formerly Residential Precincts) removed from the Local Heritage List is included in the Local Heritage List Facing Document.

Local Heritage List Appendices

The Local Heritage List appendices have more details about the subject matter in the Local Heritage List Facing Document. 

Appendix A and Appendix B contain full details for the locally listed buildings and structures, and Local Character Areas respectively. 

Appendix C lists buildings removed from the Local Heritage List with details on why they have been removed. 

The information within the appendix documents is presented in a table with supporting photography and mapping where required. You can view all the documents by clicking on the links below.

Local Heritage List Facing Document (625KB)

Appendix A: Local Heritage List Buildings & Structures (8,803KB)

Appendix B: Local Heritage List Local Character Areas (3,781KB)

Appendix C: Buildings Removed from the Local Heritage List (625KB)

Archaeology

Redbridge is fortunate to have a range of archaeological remains in the area.

The remains include artifacts made thousands of years ago, from Roman times and prehistoric settlements. There are also many unusual sites relating to modern industrial and military archaeology.

We aim to conserve our archaeological heritage and refer planning applications to the Greater London Archaeology Advisory Service (GLAAS)