Information on conservation areas, listed buildings and structures, locally listed buildings, scheduled ancient monuments, and war memorials.
South Staffordshire is made up of a collection of villages grouped into 27 parishes, each with their own history and character.
This historic character is protected by a total of 19 separate conservation areas.
Conservation areas are designated because of their special architectural or historic interest.
Being situated within a conservation area does not mean that change cannot happen. In managing change however, the key test applied by the planning system is that development should preserve or enhance the historic and architectural character or appearance of the conservation area.
A list of conservation areas in the district, including maps showing the extent of the conservation area and the most up-to-date management plans, is available to view here.
The most recent management plans identified 'buffer zone' areas adjacent to the boundaries of most of the district’s conservation areas to ensure that any development preserves or enhances the special interest of the conservation area.
Within a conservation area, the main consideration is that any development should seek to preserve or enhance the character of the area.
New development must be well designed, sympathetic to its surroundings, using appropriate materials and sympathetic landscaping treatments.
In addition, there are a number of restrictions in place nationally on what development can be undertaken in a conservation area without requiring planning permission, known as ‘permitted development rights'.
The best way to find out if you can carry out permitted development is to check the Government's Planning Portal; you can also look at the Consolidated General Permitted Development Order (GDPO 2015).
Additional guidance about the siting, design, and style of shop fronts and signs within conservation areas is in our District Design Guide.
The character of a conservation area is often defined by buildings, both listed and unlisted, that together form an important group.
For this reason, planning consent may be needed to demolish all or a significant part of any building within a conservation area.
This can include the demolition of outbuildings, walls, fences, railing or gates and in some cases, the demolition of part of a building.
Anyone proposing to carry out any works on a tree within a conservation area (with certain limited exceptions) is required to give six weeks’ notice in writing before the work is carried out.
For further information, see the trees in conservation areas section.
Listed buildings have their own strict legal safeguards.
Any change to the fabric (outside or inside) of a listed building requires special permission known as Listed Building Consent. This also applies to structures within the curtilage, including outbuildings, garden walls, gates or railings. No fee is charged for these applications.
Please see our section on listed buildings for further guidance.
Planning permission may also be required in conjunction with Listed Building Consent for demolition or an extension to the property.
Please note that it is a criminal offence to undertake unauthorised works to a listed structure.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) recognises the importance of buildings of special local interest.
There is no specific legislation for locally listed buildings, but paragraph 203 means the council has to take into account ‘the effect of an application on the significance of a non-designated heritage asset'.
South Staffordshire has its own List of Buildings of Special Local Interest – called the Local List. This identifies local buildings and structures important in their archaeological, architectural, artistic, or historic terms. Information on the items included on the council's Local List for each parish can be found here.
If you think you know of a building, structure or place in your local area deserves recognition and addition to the ‘Local List' then please fill in the Local List application form.
The criteria used to determine inclusion on the list can be accessed on the criteria for local listing page.
Any monument which has been scheduled is protected against disturbance or unlicensed metal detecting. Application for Scheduled Monument Consent must be made to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport before any work can be carried out which might affect a monument either above or below ground level.
Historic England gives advice to the government on each application and administers the consent system.
South Staffordshire has at least 76 war memorials which meet the UK National Inventory of War Memorials standard.
War memorials all play an important role in the community in remembering the social and human cost of conflict.
More information on war memorials, their upkeep, repair and restoration, can be found at The War Memorials Trust.
Email: conservation@sstaffs.gov.uk
Telephone: (01902) 696000
