Planning permission in Medway isn't a simple yes or no — and most homeowners only discover that after they've already submitted. With 1,292 listed buildings, 24 conservation areas, and 47 Article 4 directions scattered across postcodes from ME1 to ME8, what's approved on one street can be flatly refused on the next. WhatCanIBuild exists precisely to cut through that complexity before you commit to anything.
The short version
- Medway has 24 conservation areas where external alterations face extra scrutiny
- 47 Article 4 directions remove permitted development rights on specific streets
- 1,292 listed buildings recorded — and being near one matters, not just being in one
- What's been approved nearby tells you far more than any general guide
Your postcode is only the starting point
Medway covers a wide area — Chatham, Gillingham, Rochester, Strood, and beyond. Two houses on the same road can sit under completely different planning rules depending on how boundaries fall. Medway's proximity to the Kent Downs AONB means some properties sit on Article 1(5) land, where permitted development rights are restricted in ways most homeowners never anticipate. Did you know whether your property is affected? Most people don't — until they're told their project needs full planning permission when they assumed it didn't.
Conservation areas and Article 4 directions — do you know if they apply to you?
Medway's 24 conservation areas don't just affect listed buildings. External alterations — the kind of work most homeowners consider routine — can require consent simply because of where your property sits. And then there are the 47 Article 4 directions, which remove permitted development rights from specific streets entirely. These aren't published in any obvious place, and they don't come up in casual searches. Most homeowners only find out they're inside one when a neighbour's project gets refused and theirs follows. The risk isn't just a refused application — it's the £548 fee you won't get back, and the time lost.
Don't assume permitted development covers you
Article 4 directions and Article 1(5) land in Medway can strip away rights you assumed you had. What applies nationally doesn't always apply to your property.
What past decisions on your street actually tell you
This is where most homeowners miss the point entirely. Knowing you're in a conservation area is one thing — understanding what that actually means for your specific extension, loft conversion, or outbuilding is something else. Medway Council's track record on similar projects matters enormously. Have applications like yours been approved nearby? On your street? Were any refused, and why? Those decisions reveal patterns that no general guide can replicate.
WhatCanIBuild shows you what's actually been approved and refused near your address — not just the constraints that apply, but how those constraints have played out for real projects like yours. That's the difference between knowing you're in a conservation area and knowing what your chances actually are.
What you don't know is the real risk
Medway's typical decision time is 8 weeks. That's 8 weeks of uncertainty, on top of the £548 application fee, on top of any design or survey costs — all riding on whether your property's specific combination of constraints works in your favour. Most homeowners go in guessing. The best way to go in knowing is to check before you apply.
WhatCanIBuild gives you approval odds based on your property, your project type, and what's actually happened nearby — the things this article deliberately can't tell you.
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