I have worked on projects in Walsall, including a rear extension in Walsall, which created an open-plan kitchen, dining area and snug for a family home.
Walsall’s development plan is spread across several documents, so knowing which policies apply to a particular site is part of getting a project onto the right footing.
- Council planning pages
- Walsall Council
- Local Plan
- Walsall's adopted development plan is made up of several documents: the Black Country Core Strategy (2011), the Walsall Site Allocation Document (2019), the Walsall Town Centre Area Action Plan (2019) and saved policies of the 2005 Unitary Development Plan (adopted (documents from 2005 to 2019); a single new Walsall Borough Local Plan is being prepared to replace them). Local Plan page. A new Local Plan is being prepared.
- What to submit with an application
- Local validation requirements.
- Article 4 directions
- Walsall has Article 4 directions that remove certain permitted development rights, including a borough-wide direction requiring planning permission to create smaller houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), plus directions covering conservation areas and individual properties (restricting works such as removing timber windows, doors and chimneys, or painting previously unpainted brickwork). Article 4 directions.
- Community Infrastructure Levy
- Walsall does not charge a Community Infrastructure Levy (preparation was suspended in 2017); developer contributions are secured through Section 106 planning obligations, supported by a Planning Obligations SPD adopted in December 2025. Community Infrastructure Levy page.
- Conservation areas and heritage
- Walsall has 18 conservation areas, including Aldridge, the Arboretum, Bloxwich, Caldmore Green and Great Barr. Within a conservation area additional controls apply and consent may be needed for works such as demolition, and some areas are also subject to Article 4 directions. Conservation pages.
- Local guidance
- The council has adopted a number of Supplementary Planning Documents supporting the Local Plan, including a Planning Obligations SPD (2025), the Designing Walsall SPD and a Shopfront Design SPD. Supplementary planning documents.
What this means for your project
In Walsall, the work I do is shaped by a development plan made up of several documents and by the borough’s conservation areas. If your property is in a conservation area or affected by an Article 4 direction, expect to need an application for work that might be permitted development elsewhere, and expect the council to look closely at materials and detailing. There is no Community Infrastructure Levy here, so larger schemes are handled through Section 106 obligations. I check the current position for your specific address before any drawings are prepared.
Last checked: 26 June 2026. page reviewed Planning policy, charges and local designations change over time, so please confirm the current position with the council before relying on this summary.