The short answer for Bushey
Planning authority
Hertsmere Borough Council
Postcode district
WD23, three councils
Conservation areas
Three in Bushey
Warren Estate
Two Article 4 directions
Not sure you are in Bushey? Check your area
Yes, we cover Bushey. What sets it apart is the Warren Estate in Bushey Heath, where Hertsmere has withdrawn a range of permitted development rights over the parts of a house that face a road or open space, under two Article 4 directions confirmed in 2001. Hertsmere is a Hertfordshire district, not a London borough, and it publishes three conservation areas in Bushey: the High Street and Melbourne Road, Bushey Heath High Road, and Bushey Heath The Lakes, which holds the estate. Neither the estate's design guide nor Hertsmere's Planning and Design Guide mentions air conditioning, so the real question is where the unit goes. The estate is small, though: the council's guide counts 77 houses and 12 bungalows, in a ward of 2,314 households. And WD23 is not all Hertsmere. A few streets on the Stanmore side are in the London Borough of Harrow and a few on the Oxhey side are in Watford, so we check your address before we quote.
Wall mounted systems start from £1,995 fully installed, and the price does not change with the postcode.
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Get a written quote in Bushey
- We call you back, or email you if we cannot get through.
- We come and do a free survey at your address.
- You get one price in writing, agreed before any work starts.
The survey is free, and nothing is booked before you have the price in writing.
Two Article 4 directions cover the Warren Estate
The Warren Estate, round The Lake in Bushey Heath, was designated as part of The Lake conservation area on 23 October 1998. Hertsmere then served two Article 4(2) directions on its roads in 2001, confirmed on 26 July and 15 November. The first withdraws permitted development for alterations to the front of a house, a roof slope, a porch, an outbuilding, a hard surface or a gate, fence or wall where it fronts a highway or open space, and for any chimney. The second protects original Crittall windows. Neither names air conditioning, so whether a unit is caught depends on where it goes, and that is a question for Hertsmere.
What Hertsmere's guide says, and what we make of it
Hertsmere's Bushey and Aldenham planning sub committee adopted the Warren Estate Design Guide on 25 September 2003. It describes large detached houses set well back from the road, a wide open and visually uncluttered aspect, and The Lake as a pocket park with a central pond that acts as the estate's focal point.
It says nothing about air conditioning. Its rules are about what can be seen: no roof lights or solar panels on roof planes visible from the highway or open space, original windows kept, and materials that match. Hertsmere's wider Planning and Design Guide, which covers extensions and shop fronts, does not mention air conditioning either.
Our reading is simple. A condenser belongs at the back of the house, out of sight of the road and of The Lake, and a house that looks onto the lake may well have a front on both sides, so ask Hertsmere before you settle on a position. Pipework beyond the three metres in the starting price goes on the written quote before work starts.
Three conservation areas, three different places
Hertsmere lists fifteen conservation areas across the borough and three of them are in Bushey. They have almost nothing in common, which is why one rule for Bushey would be wrong.
| Area | Designated | What Hertsmere says |
|---|---|---|
| Bushey High Street and Melbourne Road | 22 January 1973 | The village core. Its 2008 appraisal records one Article 4 direction inside it, on the Reveley Almshouses in Park Road and Herkomer Road. |
| Bushey Heath High Road | March 1990 | Windmill Lane, High Road and Hartsbourne Park. The 2013 appraisal is still marked draft and proposes removing the designation, but Hertsmere still lists the area, so treat it as in force. |
| Bushey Heath The Lakes | 23 October 1998 | The Warren Estate, The Lake and some properties along the High Road. Two Article 4 directions and a design guide. |
From Hertsmere's conservation areas page, its Bushey High Street appraisal of 2008 and its Bushey Heath High Road appraisal of April 2013 (draft), and the Warren Estate Design Guide of September 2003. The High Street dates are from the 2008 appraisal and the High Road date from the draft.
What the housing actually is
Households by accommodation type at the 2021 Census, for the four Hertsmere wards named Bushey, against Hertsmere as a whole. Bushey Heath is the ward that holds the Warren Estate, and it is not only detached houses: 801 of its households are in purpose built flats, more than the 788 in detached homes.
| Ward | Households | Detached | Semi-detached | Terraced | Purpose built flats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bushey Heath | 2,314 | 788 | 438 | 218 | 801 |
| Bushey North | 3,119 | 524 | 1,186 | 447 | 799 |
| Bushey Park | 2,946 | 705 | 900 | 571 | 693 |
| Bushey St James | 3,071 | 454 | 921 | 700 | 802 |
| Hertsmere | 42,682 | 7,985 | 13,839 | 8,700 | 10,576 |
ONS Census 2021, table TS044, accommodation type by household, as at 21 March 2021, on the 2022 ward boundaries. Only the categories ONS publishes are shown; the remaining households are in converted or shared houses, other converted buildings, commercial buildings or temporary structures. The Warren Estate postcodes fall in Bushey Heath ward, and Hertsmere's 2003 guide counts 77 houses and 12 bungalows on the estate.
What applies to you
A house on the Warren Estate
Keep the unit off any wall that faces the road or The Lake, and ask Hertsmere about any position you are unsure of before you order. Two directions apply and neither lists air conditioning, so the rear elevation and a short conversation with the council is the safe route.
A house in the High Street, Melbourne Road or High Road areas
These are conservation areas, so check before fixing anything to a wall the street can see. Hertsmere's October 2008 note on conservation area controls lists satellite dishes, microgeneration equipment such as solar panels, and chimneys, flues and soil pipes that face or are visible from the road. It does not list air conditioning, but it is from 2008 and is no substitute for asking.
A house elsewhere in Bushey
Hertsmere lists six Article 4 directions in Bushey in all. Besides the two on the Warren Estate, four are on single buildings: the Reveley Almshouses, Sparrows Herne Hall, The Moorings and Went House, and the last three concern demolition only. For an ordinary house a wall mounted install is permitted development subject to the national limits.
A flat, a shop or an office
In a flat, the freeholder's or managing agent's written consent comes first, and above the first floor a condensate pump is likely, priced as a line on the quote. Commercial premises do not have the household permitted development rights, so a shop on the High Street should expect to speak to Hertsmere. Our commercial page covers how we handle those, and we will give you the unit dimensions and position for the form.
A WD23 postcode that is not Hertsmere
Most of WD23 is Hertsmere, but we point tested sample postcodes against the ONS boundaries and WD23 1JQ, 1NT and 1NX fall in the London Borough of Harrow, while 2FX, 2NA and 2QH fall in Watford. Different council, different local plan. Tell us your address and we check before we quote.
Your planning authority is Hertsmere Borough Council
They decide any application for your address, and they publish the conservation area maps you would need to check it. We do not submit applications on your behalf, but we will tell you at the survey if one is likely and give you the unit dimensions and position to put on the form.
Hertsmere Borough Council conservation areasWhat we would fit in Bushey
Every price is fully installed and includes the unit, the installation, the electrical work and VAT.
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Tell us the road and the room and we will say what is likely, including whether you are on the Warren Estate. Size your room in about a minute and we will give you a starting price.