Conservation Area Guidance

The designation of a conservation area is not an end in itself. Local authorities need to develop policies which clearly identify what features of the area should be preserved or enhanced, and set out how this can be done. Clear assessment and definition of an area's interest and the action needed to protect it, help to generate awareness and encourage local property owners to take the right sort of action for themselves. Character Appraisals will also identify areas where enhancement through development may be desirable.

English Heritage advises local authorities to consult as widely as possible - not only with local residents and amenity societies but also with Chambers of Commerce, public utilities and the Highway Authority - over any proposals for a conservation area.  

Some of the means by which local authorities can enhance the appearance of conservation areas are:

• preparing an audit or character appraisal of those buildings, structures and features  which make the area special
• preparing special Development Briefs for sites they identify as detracting from the character or appearance of the area
• ensuring that new buildings harmonise with or complement their neighbours in scale, style and use of materials
• making environmental improvements, for example by reinstating historic paving materials, sympathetic landscaping and planting, or removing unsightly elements such as hoardings
• integrating road signs and markings as far as possible with the character of the street
• controlling the position and design of advertisements and shop signs
• ensuring that traffic safety and control measures harmonise with the landscape
• making grants available for the repair of buildings

Including conservation area policies in the statutory Development Plan is the best means of integrating conservation areas with wider planning policies, such as those concerned with shopping and traffic management. The most important policy is the presumption against the loss of elements which have been identified in the character appraisal as making a positive contribution to the special interest for which the area was designated.

Once policies for a particular area have been agreed, local residents and businesses should be made fully aware of why the area has been designated and how they can protect its character and appearance.

English Heritage has produced two publications providing guidance on the management of conservation areas and the preparation of area appraisals.

'Guidance on Conservation Area Appraisals' offers advice to those undertaking, or commissioning, Conservation Area Appraisals. It complements and should be read in conjunction with the companion publication 'Guidance on the Management of Conservation Areas'.

'Guidance on the Management of Conservation Areas' identifies the key aspects of good practice that need to be taken into account by local authorities in managing their conservation areas, whilst recognising that resources are limited and have to be prioritised. It aims to relate the designation and management of conservation areas to the principles of conservation management planning for historic assets, outlines how the management of conservation areas relates to the new development plan systems and provides references to other relevant information.

Both are available to download as PDFs from the right hand side of the page or by contacting English Heritage Customer Services on 0870 333 1181. 

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