What is a Conservation Area?
Local planning authorities have a responsibility to designate Conservation Areas, which are defined as:
‘an area of special architectural or historic interest, the character and appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance.' – Planning (Listed Buildings & Conservation Areas) Act 1990.
If you live, work or own property in a Conservation Area, certain responsibilities are placed on both you and the council to preserve or enhance that special character and appearance.
- In many cases, you must apply for permission to extend or demolish a part of a property;
- Proposals for new development, signs and advertisements will need to be sensitive to their surroundings, and;
- The council must be notified where works are proposed to prune or fell a tree.
Conservation Areas normally contain many listed buildings. These are either individual buildings or groups of buildings that are of special architectural or historic interest. Anyone who owns or lives near to a listed building should be aware that these are subject to their own special legal protection.
