If you've just been told your slate roof needs replacing and your property is in one of Edinburgh's conservation areas, your first reaction is probably "is this going to take forever?" The honest answer is: usually not, but it depends on three things — whether the building is listed, whether you're staying like-for-like, and whether you're working with a contractor who knows the rules.
I've been working on Edinburgh roofs since 2014, and around 60% of our jobs are in conservation areas. Most of them — the vast majority — proceed without any planning consent at all.
What is a conservation area in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh City Council currently designates 51 conservation areas. They cover most of central Edinburgh — including the World Heritage Site (New Town and Old Town) — plus suburban districts like Marchmont, Morningside, Stockbridge, Trinity, Portobello, and large parts of Leith.
The "like-for-like" rule
If your replacement uses materials that match what was there before — same type of slate, same gauge, same colour family — you can almost always proceed under permitted development rules. No planning consent, no listed building consent, no formal approval needed.
Listed buildings: a different rulebook
Listed building consent is a separate regime to planning permission. It applies whenever you make changes to a listed building, including repairs that affect the character of the building. For a slate roof, that means the work itself usually does need consent — even if the materials are matched.
Summary: 4 things to remember
1. Most conservation-area slate jobs proceed without planning consent. 2. If your property is listed, you need listed building consent. 3. Source matching slate properly — Welsh, Spanish or Scottish are usually the right answer. 4. Lime mortar where the original fabric specifies it.