Conservation areas

A nationwide survey of conservation areas (conducted by English Heritage and the 75% of England's local planning authorities who responded) indicates that approximately 1 in 7 is at risk from neglect, decay or unsympathetic change.

Show your support for our campaign to save conservation areas from irreversible decline and receive a free campaign pack by registering below.

Introduced by the 1967 Civic Amenities Act, there are some 9,300 conservation areas across England, meaning that we all live in or near to one - or visit one regularly for work, shopping or leisure.

Designated to protect the historic places we hold most special, they are the element of England’s heritage that is all around us and which touches all of our lives. But until now no-one had a clear idea what condition they were in.

English Heritage is calling for:

1. Councils to use the powers they already have to apply Article 4 Directions in conservation areas, giving them control over small changes to doors, windows, roofs and fences, which, unchecked, lead to slow but irreversible decline. Our survey shows that conservation areas with Appraisals or Article 4 Directions are almost twice as likely to improve in the next three years as those without.
   
   
2. Councils to pay more attention to the public spaces of conservation areas, applying the principles set out in English Heritage’s Save Our Streets guidance.
   
   
3. But it’s not only the job of the council to take care of our surroundings.
   We must all work together.