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Planning consideration

Conservation areas

An area of special architectural or historic interest with a character or appearance that must be preserved or enhanced

Design stage
On the platform
Tags

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Synonyms
No synonyms added
Legislation
Ordnance Survey declaration
Presumption to publish

See further information about this OS declaration

Expected number of records
10,000
Frequency of updates
Ad hoc
Useful links
Technical specification
View specification

Background information

Each planning consideration we work on passes through the stages of our design process, where we research and answer specific questions to help us collect more information.

Backlog

  • Who asked for 'Conservation areas' data?

    Open Systems Lab - Planning Software, specifically as constraint in PlanX

  • What is the driver for the request?

    Specific user requirement

  • Which 2024 focus area does the request support?

    • Modern planning software
    • Faster local plans

Screen

  • What is the 'Conservation areas' consideration?

    Conservation areas are areas of special architectural or historic interest with a character or appearance that must be preserved or enhanced.

  • Is there legislation that defines 'Conservation areas'?

    Yes

    • What is the legislation that defines 'Conservation areas'?

      https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/9/section/69 which describes:

      “Every local planning authority— shall from time to time determine which parts of their area are areas of special architectural or historic interest the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance, and shall designate those areas as conservation areas.

      (2) It shall be the duty of a local planning authority from time to time to review the past exercise of functions under this section and to determine whether any parts or any further parts of their area should be designated as conservation areas; and, if they so determine, they shall designate those parts accordingly.

      (3) The Secretary of State may from time to time determine that any part of a local planning authority’s area which is not for the time being designated as a conservation area is an area of special architectural or historic interest the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance; and, if he so determines, he may designate that part as a conservation area.“

    • What is the specific part of the legislation that describes how a 'Conservation areas' gets designated?

      There is no part in the legislation outlining the exact process as to the designation of a conservation area, only the supplementary provisions in section 70.

    • What is the specific part of the legislation that requires the publication of 'Conservation areas'?

      Section 70, Paragraph 8 which defines: “Notice of any such designation, variation or cancellation as is mentioned in subsection (5) or (6), with particulars of its effect, shall be published in the London Gazette and in at least one newspaper circulating in the area of the local planning authority, by that authority or, as the case may be, the Secretary of State”.

      Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, Section 71 which defines: “It shall be the duty of a local planning authority from time to time to formulate and publish proposals for the preservation and enhancement of any parts of their area which are conservation areas.”

  • Who, in law, is responsible for the planning consideration or makes decisions about 'Conservation areas'?

    Local Planning Authorities - Section 69

    SoS DCMS - Section 69

    Historic England (for decisions in Greater London) - Section 70

  • Which organisations do we think should publish the data?

    • Local authorities
    • Historic England

  • Is the Conservation areas a trigger?

    Yes

    • What needs to be done because Conservation areas has acted as the trigger?

      • design and access statement
      • heritage statement
      • lighting assessment
      • tree survey
      • impact assessment on conservation area
      • demolition consent
      • statement of community involvement
      • town centre visual impact assessment
      • archaeological assessment
      • arboricultural impact assessment
      • land and visual impact assessment (LVIA)

  • Is the Conservation areas something to consult during plan making?

    Yes

    • Provide information about when Conservation areas is used during plan making

      • Heritage statement
      • Lighting assessment
      • Arboricultural impact assessment
      • Archaeological assessment
      • Landscape and visual impact assessment (LVIA)

  • Is there any Conservation areas data already available?

    Yes

  • Do we think the data should come from a single source?

    No - the data should be provided by LPAs individually

  • Will a data standard be required?

    Yes

Research

  • Do we understand the lifecycle of a Conservation areas?

    Yes

    • Document a stage of the high-level lifecycle of a Conservation areas

      • Item 1

        name
        Appraisal
        actors
        LPAs / Local Communities
        impact
        output
        Conservation Area Appraisal
        description
        - The statement (or summary) of special interest - Introduction - Planning policy context - General character, location and uses - Historic interest  - Architectural interest and built form - Locally important buildings  - Spatial analysis - Streets and open space, parks and gardens, and trees  - Setting and views  - Character areas and zones  - An audit of heritage assets  - Assessment of condition  - Identifying the boundary - A plan for further action and generic guidance - References, appendices and contact details 

      • Item 2

        name
        Surveys, research, consultation, presentation and assessment
        actors
        Assessor, LPAs, local communities, neighbourhood forums and town/parish councils
        impact
        output
        description

      • Item 3

        name
        Designation
        actors
        LPAs / SoS DCMS
        impact
        output
        description

      • Item 4

        name
        Notice of designation
        actors
        LPAs / Public
        impact
        output
        description

      • Item 5

        name
        Management plan drafted
        actors
        LPAs
        impact
        output
        Conservation Area management plan
        description

      • Item 6

        name
        Variation
        actors
        LPAs / DCMS
        impact
        Conservation Area is modified
        output
        Variation notice
        description

      • Item 7

        name
        Cancellation
        actors
        LPAs / SoS DCMS
        impact
        Conservation Area is removed
        output
        description

  • Do we understand how the data is created/produced?

    We expect that LPAs will use the above process to designate a conservation area, and will be using base mapping (any) to define the boundary of a conservation area and produce the data. It is likely to copy small elements of road, field, hedge, river features and property boundaries to create a contiguous polygon defining the conservation area.

  • Where will or should the data be used?

    Knowing about the presence of a conservation area is required for any type of planning application and will impact the information an applicant will need to provide.

    • Permitted development rights - Some PDRs will typically be removed in a conservation area.
    • Trees – trees within a conservation area are protected regardless of whether there is a tree protection order or not.
    • Local plans - Conservation areas are referenced regularly in local plans (also under the guise of 'heritage assets'), so we are confident that they act as input to the creation of a local plan.

  • Who are the statutory consultees for Conservation areas?

    Historic England

  • Other than the statutory consultees who are the primary users of Conservation areas? How do we expect them to use Conservation areas?

    Local planning authorities, developers, planning consultants

  • What are the planning needs for this data?

    A conservation area is an area with special architectural or historic interest where the character or appearance is deemed worthy of preservation or enhancement.

    These areas are typically designated by local planning authorities and have extra planning controls in place to protect their unique qualities. Having conservation area data on the platform will be useful in demonstrating where particular development restrictions might be in place: - e.g. certain alterations, extensions or demolitions might require planning permission where they fall within or adjacent to a conservation area, where they would not normally. - e.g. there might also be restrictions on materials for renovations or new buildings - e.g. trees within a conservation area are often protected, with work on them may require permission

  • Who are the types of users who might benefit from having access to Conservation areas data?

    local planning authorities, developers, landowners, home owners and planning consultants

  • What are some potential uses of Conservation areas data?

  • What's the value of adding Conservation areas data to the platform?

    A conservation area is an area with special architectural or historic interest where the character or appearance is deemed worthy of preservation or enhancement.

    These areas are typically designated by local planning authorities and have extra planning controls in place to protect their unique qualities. Having conservation area data on the platform will be useful in demonstrating where particular development restrictions might be in place:

    • e.g. certain alterations, extensions or demolitions might require planning permission where they fall within or adjacent to a conservation area, where they would not normally.
    • e.g. there might also be restrictions on materials for renovations or new buildings
    • e.g. trees within a conservation area are often protected, with work on them may require permission

  • From what we have learnt so far are there any risks to making Conservation areas data available?

    The currently available data from Historic England is incomplete. This dataset will require individual collection from LPAs.

3 updates

  • Colm Britton (14 October 2024)

    We have updated the list of document types, adding in management-plan after Leicester Council expressed a need for this document type.

  • elliotrowen (06 September 2024)

    Data frequency update is listed as 'ad hoc', as it is listed as 'as needed' at: https://opendata-historicengland.hub.arcgis.com/datasets/historicengland::conservation-areas/explore?location=52.761369%2C-2.491828%2C6.62

  • Kieran Wint (04 September 2024)

    As per some research we did, summarised in this blog on an analysis of local plans and local area requirements, we're confident that this consideration acts as an INPUT to the process of creating a local plan.

Last updated: 2025-05-23 08:36:45