GS Renovation renovates houses in Dartford, from single rooms through to whole property refurbishments, including the structural work that a change of layout brings with it. The borough holds houses standing on a medieval street plan and houses finished in the last few years, and they do not renovate alike. Abdelaaziz Saaid brings over 30 years of hands-on experience, and he is the person you deal with.
Six conservation areas, and around 180 listed buildings
Dartford Borough Council has designated six conservation areas: Dartford Town Centre, Greenhithe, Southfleet, Hook Green, Church Hill in Wilmington, and Red Street. The Dartford Town Centre area is the largest of the six and contains approximately 40 listed buildings and structures. The borough as a whole contains approximately 180 listed buildings and 12 scheduled monuments. Policy M5 of The Dartford Plan to 2037 requires proposals affecting a conservation area to pay special attention to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of that area.
Each area has its own published appraisal, and they are of different vintages. The Dartford Town Centre Conservation Area was first designated on 31 October 1980 and reviewed on 25 June 1998 with boundary changes. Its current appraisal was adopted on 16 October 2006, replacing one of March 1999. The council also publishes appraisals dated August 1998 for Greenhithe, Hook Green and Southfleet, March 1999 for Church Hill Wilmington, and September 1999 for Red Street Southfleet.
What the older town centre houses are built of
Brick, and not only brick. The Dartford Town Centre Conservation Area Appraisal records yellow brick walling generally laid in Flemish bond as a characteristic historic material of the conservation area, with slate and occasionally pan tile roofs. In the High Street area it lists the historic walling materials as yellow stock brick, red brick, stone, stucco and weatherboarding, with peg and pan tile roof coverings.
Some of it is not solid walling at all. The appraisal names 57 Spital Street, which is the Royal Oak public house, the rear element of 24 High Street, and 1, 3, 5 and 9 Overy Street as 16th to 17th century timber framed buildings. A specification written for a Victorian solid wall does not suit a timber frame. The survey settles which you have before the schedule of works is priced.
Splitting a Dartford house into flats or an HMO has got harder
Two separate rules bear on it. The Dartford Plan to 2037 states that conversions of existing dwellings will only be allowed where the original property is more than 120 square metres. It also states that the conversion of terraced houses will be resisted, on the grounds that converted terraced dwellings are not normally capable of providing an adequate standard of accommodation.
Houses in multiple occupation are now caught as well. Dartford Borough Council resolved at full Council on 8 December 2025 to bring into force immediately an Article 4 direction for HMOs covering the borough north of the A2, and confirmed that direction on 23 February 2026. A parallel direction south of the A2 was confirmed on the same date and takes effect on 10 December 2026. From that date, converting a house into an HMO for up to six occupants needs planning permission.
Several completely different generations of house, close together
They sit within a few miles of one another. The Dartford Plan to 2037 records that the layout of the medieval market town is still evident, with the crossroads between the High Street, Spital Street and Hythe Street still prominent. It also records that the largely built up area north of the A2 contains 70 per cent of the borough's population. The Temple Hill estate was constructed from 1947 as post-war housing.
At the other end of the range, Ebbsfleet Garden City, which lies partly within Dartford borough, celebrated its 5,000th completed home on 17 December 2025. The development corporation is working to a target of 15,000 homes there by 2035. A house finished last year and a house finished in 1947 need different materials and a different order of trades, so the specification follows the house rather than a standard package.
- External rendering, repointing and masonry repair
- Sash window overhaul, draught proofing and secondary glazing
- Roof repairs, gutters, fascias and rainwater goods
- Project management from first survey to final handover
- Bespoke joinery, wardrobes and fitted storage
The GS Renovation Difference in Dartford
Our base is in Potters Bar, just under 25 miles from Dartford, and we are straightforward about what that means. We plan renovation work in continuous blocks rather than in half day visits, so the programme suits the travel and suits you living in the house while it happens. GS Renovation appoints the structural engineer where a layout change needs one, coordinates the Dartford building control application and inspections, and keeps one point of contact in Abdelaaziz Saaid. We are fully insured, registered in England, company number 14611254, and rated 4.9 from 31 reviews on MyBuilder.
- Fully insured, with cover in place on every site
- Registered in England, Companies House no. 14611254
- Site left safe and secure at the end of every day
- Protected routes through the house so you can keep living in it
- Original features protected, repaired or reinstated as you want
- A whole-house programme sequenced so no trade doubles back