5 planning constraints you can check online for free right now
The five most common planning constraints that affect property in England and how to check each one with free official sources, with no sign-up, plus what the free sources do not tell you.
Checking a specific site?
Check a site free: your council, whether you are in a conservation area, and a basic flood check. The £9.99 site report covers everything else we can check.
Postcode, address or grid reference. England, Wales and Scotland. Free check, then the site report is £9.99, one-off.
The free official sources below will answer most of these questions. If you would rather check a site in one place, check a site free shows your council, whether you are in a conservation area, and a basic flood check, with no signup.
Whether you are buying a house, planning an extension or scoping a development site, five planning constraints come up more than any others. All of them can be checked online for free using government data. This guide is about England.
Here they are, why each one matters, and where to check.
1. Conservation areas
Why it matters: in a conservation area, permitted development rights are reduced. You will probably need planning permission for work that would normally be allowed elsewhere, including demolition, cladding, some extensions and some roof work. Trees are protected by a six-week notice rule. Design standards are higher, and the council can refuse applications that harm the area's character.
Where to check:
- Free check on our site: check a site free shows whether the point is in a conservation area, with the boundary on the map. Names and source records are in the £9.99 site report
- Direct source: planning.data.gov.uk holds conservation area datasets published by local authorities
- Council website: check your council's policies map and conservation area pages
Conservation area data reaches the national platform from councils, so coverage varies. The dataset says it "may be incomplete and not yet cover all of England". If your property is near a boundary, ask the council.
2. Flood zones
Why it matters: if a site is in Flood Zone 2 or 3, you will need a site-specific flood risk assessment for most development. You may also need to show through the Sequential Test that there is no suitable lower-risk site, although householder development is exempt from the Sequential Test. Insurance can cost significantly more.
Where to check:
- Direct source: the Environment Agency's Flood Map for Planning shows Flood Zone 2 and 3 boundaries for England
- Long-term risk: the Check your long term flood risk service covers surface water and reservoir flooding
- On our site: check a site free includes a basic river and sea flood check. The site report adds zone classifications and sources. In England it reads Flood Zones 2 and 3 from the Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning (March 2025 edition, revised May 2026), so you can compare it with the Environment Agency map
Flood zone boundaries changed in 2025. The Environment Agency's updated Flood Map for Planning, built on its new national flood risk assessment (NaFRA2), went live on 25 March 2025 and moved the extent of zones for some sites. A "Flood Zones plus climate change" layer followed on 27 August 2025, showing how Zones 2 and 3 may expand under climate allowances. A site that is clear on today's zones can still sit inside the climate change extent.
Wales and Scotland use different maps: the TAN15 Flood Map for Planning in Wales and SEPA's high, medium and low flood likelihood in Scotland. See flood zones explained.
3. Listed buildings
Why it matters: altering a listed building, internally or externally, without listed building consent is a criminal offence. Even minor work such as replacing windows or adding a porch can need consent. The listing covers the whole building and structures within its curtilage.
Where to check:
- Direct source: search the National Heritage List for England by address or map location. Each entry gives the grade (I, II* or II), a description and the date of listing
- On our site: the £9.99 site report includes the listed building check with grades and source records. The free check does not show listed buildings
England has around 380,000 listed building entries, and one entry can cover several buildings, such as a terrace or a wall and its gate piers. About 92% are Grade II.
4. Green belt
Why it matters: green belt is one of the most restrictive planning constraints. There is a strong presumption against new development unless it fits an exception or very special circumstances can be shown. Extensions, replacements and some changes of use can be acceptable if they meet the criteria, but a new house on open green belt is very hard to get.
Where to check:
- Direct source: planning.data.gov.uk holds a green belt dataset, taken from the Government's annual returns, and your council's local plan policies map shows the boundary used for decisions
- On our site: the £9.99 site report includes the green belt check. The free check does not show green belt
About 12.5% of England is green belt: 1,633,220 hectares at 31 March 2025. Read green belt land: what it means for planning permission for how the rules work.
5. Tree preservation orders (TPOs)
Why it matters: a TPO makes it an offence to cut down, top, lop, uproot, damage or destroy a protected tree without the council's written consent. That applies even if the tree is on your own land. Fines can reach £20,000 in a magistrates' court, and are unlimited in the Crown Court.
Where to check:
- Direct source: planning.data.gov.uk holds TPO datasets published by councils
- Council records: ask the council's tree officer
- On our site: the £9.99 site report includes the TPO check. The free check does not show TPOs
TPO coverage in the national dataset is incomplete. On 19 October 2026, 75 data providers had contributed, and some councils still keep their records on paper. If trees matter to your plans, always ask the council.
What the free sources do not do
Each source answers one question. Checking all five takes time, and a blank on a national map does not mean there is no constraint, only that nothing has been published. Check a site free brings together your council, conservation area status and a basic flood check, and the site report (£9.99, one-off) adds the rest with a source for each finding, within 500 m of your pin, for 30 days. The report link never expires.
We show what we found, what came back clear, and where a source couldn't be checked. Some councils don't publish every dataset, so ask the council where it matters.
Sources
- planning.data.gov.uk datasets: conservation area, green belt, tree preservation order and flood risk zone, for provider counts and update dates
- GOV.UK: new national flood and coastal erosion risk information
- Local authority green belt statistics for England: 2024 to 2025
- Historic England NHLE feature service
- GOV.UK: tree preservation orders and trees in conservation areas
Can you extend? Check permitted development and the rules on your street.
Check a site free for your council, whether you are in a conservation area, and a basic flood check. The site report (£9.99, one-off) adds everything else we can check within 500 m of your pin, for 30 days, with the source for each finding.
We show what we found, what came back clear, and where a source couldn’t be checked. Some councils don’t publish every dataset, so ask the council where it matters. Planning Constraints is a screening tool, not an official local authority search or professional advice.