Development in Conservation Areas

Any application for development which affects the Conservation Area will be given careful consideration by the Council to determine how it would affect the character of the area.

Anyone can make their views about the proposal known to the Council and all comments received will be taken into account.

Considerations

If you are considering any proposals for development in the Conservation Area, the following points may help you to assess whether development proposals are likely to be considered appropriate.

For a proposed development to be acceptable within one of the Council's Conservation Areas, the development should 'preserve or enhance' the special character of the area.  Should a proposal fail to do so, or erode the design quality of the area, the Council is likely to find a proposal unacceptable.  The Council's Planning Officers welcome discussions at an early stage.

• Demolition - Planning Permission is required for the demolition or substantial demolition of most buildings within the area, as well as for walls, gates or other means of enclosure which exceed 1m in height.
• Cladding on External Walls - planning permission is required to clad the outside walls of any building in stone, artificial stone, pebble dash, timber, plastic, render or tiles.
• Change of use should not alter its appearance and large business signs and advertising signs should be kept to a minimum.
• Developments should avoid the removal of front boundaries and existing landscaping, as well as the removal of historic or original materials.
• Extensions to properties should respect the scale, character and architectural style of the original building and other buildings in the area.
• Extensions, if acceptable, should be constructed in materials to match the existing.  Some of these materials may be difficult to find, however, by consulting a wide range of suppliers an acceptable match should be possible.  Often reclaimed facing bricks and roofing materials will provide the most acceptable solution and will not necessarily be an expensive option.  It should be noted that research has shown that over a 30-year mortgage period the rehabilitation and regular maintenance of timber windows will be a more cost-effective approach than replacing with more modern alternatives.

Shop Front Design and Security

• The design of new shop fronts is an important factor in the attractiveness and environmental quality of some of the Council's Conservation Areas.  Care needs to be taken to ensure proposals are appropriate to the style, design and character of the building or group of buildings in which the shop is situated.
• Shop security measures often include proposals for the installation of shutters and grilles.  In assessing these proposals within Conservation Areas, emphasis will be placed on ensuring they are suitably sympathetic to the existing shop fronts and street scene.  Solid shutters or shutters with small perforations are generally not acceptable.