Conservation - Lake District National Park

Authority Planning Protect Learning Explore News

Authority homepage Committees About us People of the Park Publications and plans Work with us Contact us

Planning homepage Planning permission Planning applications Planning for nature recovery Conservation Planning policies Planning enquiries

Protect homepage Lake District National Park Partnership Nature Farming Climate action People and recreation Landscape and heritage World Heritage Site Protect your Park

Learning homepage Learning resources Green careers

Explore homepage Plan your visit Things to do Places to go Where to stay Visitor facilities

Committees Authority Committee Development Control Committee Governance Committee Rights of Way Committee Executive Performance Committee Resources Meeting Strategy Meeting Committee Papers archive Members

Planning permission Planning advice Applying for planning permission

Planning applications Commenting on planning applications Planning application search tool Planning permissions with occupancy restrictions Planning appeals

Planning policies Local Plan Design Code Monitoring planning policy Affordable housing Self-build and custom housebuilding Brownfield land register Community involvement in planning policy Whole estate plans Windermere Gateway Infrastructure funding statements Bowness Bay and The Glebe improvements Local Development Order septic tank upgrades

Lake District National Park Partnership Partnership Plan LDNPP meetings Business task force Carbon budget for the Lake District

Nature Farming, Forestry, Nature and Climate (FFNC) Planning for nature recovery Large-scale nature recovery initiatives Nature reserves Woodland creation Water

Farming Farming in Protected Landscapes Common land Hefted flocks and herds

Climate action LDNP carbon budget Cumbria Net Zero 2037 Climate adaptation and resilience Climate change Low-carbon Lake District

People and recreation Access and strategy Smarter travel Working with local communities Economy and employment Visitor engagement Sustainable tourism

Landscape and heritage Archaeology and historic landscape Land ownership Landscape Character Assessment

Donate Volunteer

Learning resources History resources Geography resources STEM Resources Facts and figures Famous writers

Plan your visit Getting to and around the Lake District Lake District weather Plan your winter visit What to pack Rights of way and access Accessible for all Countryside Code

Things to do Walking Cycling Miles without Stiles On the water Historical places Families and children Teens and young explorers Beyond the trails Winter Skills day courses

Places to go Explore Southern Lakes Explore Grasmere and Rydal Explore Langdale Valley Explore Northern Lakes Explore Ullswater Explore Wasdale, Wastwater and West Coast Explore Windermere and Ambleside Explore by map

Where to stay Camping sites Wild camping Glamping and camping pods Caravan sites Campervans and where to park Hostels and bunkhouses

Visitor facilities Visitor information Information centres Coniston Boating Centre Wheelchair and mobility scooter hire Car parks Electric car hire and charging points Public toilets Webcams, videos and photos FAQs

Home Planning Conservation

Conservation in planning is essential for preserving the traditions, cultures and feel of the Lake District National Park.

This includes the character of settlements, building traditions and protecting nature. These themes run through our planning policy and guidelines.

roof top view of slate houses in ambleside with fell backdrop

Building traditions

Within the Lake District, local building traditions have produced highly distinctive and characterful buildings, villages and towns. Buildings, objects or structures that have a special architectural or historic interested are recorded in a statutory list by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) – the Local List – of which there are more than 1,800 in the National Park. Historic England is responsible for the administration of the listing system.

Learn about building traditions

Landscape view of Hawkshead village. Lush green fields, trees and hills, with the stone village positioned in the centre. White houses and a tall church tower

Conservation Areas

Conservation Areas are legally defined as areas of ‘special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance’. Learn about how Conservation Areas are considered in planning and see the A-Z list of Conservation Areas in the Lake District National Park.

See our Conservation Areas

canopy top of a woodland. trees of various shades of green, yellow and brown

Trees and hedgerows

Trees and hedgerows hold aesthetic and cultural value. In this page, learn about Tree Preservation Orders (TPO) in planning, trees in conservation areas and protected hedgerows.

Trees and hedgerows

bluebells in the foreground and fells and a lake in the distance

bluebells in the foreground and fells and a lake in the distance

Learn more about planning for nature recovery

We’re working with communities, land managers and developers to ensure that new proposals actively support the Lake District’s ecological resilience.

Planning for nature recovery