Conservation Areas


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Castlebridge Cottages Conservation Areas

The Conservation Areas within Hart District are as follows:

For advice on conservation matters please contact the Heritage/ Conservation section of Planning Services.

Introduction

This information offers guidance to those who live, or work within a Conservation Area. It explains what a Conservation Area is, how it is intended to protect and enhance an area of special character, and how you can help to achieve this.

It provides information on the extra consents required for building, demolition and tree works within Conservation Areas, over and above those normally required. In addition most of these Conservation Areas have the additional protection of Article 4 Directions. You should always contact the Planning Services section to confirm whether permission is needed before starting on a project.

What is a Conservation Area?

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. These areas will naturally be of many different kinds. They may be either large or small; whole villages and hamlets or just a square or green. They are often focused on Listed Buildings; but not always. Other attractive groups of buildings, open spaces, trees, a traditional street pattern or features of historic or architectural interest may also contribute to the special character of an area.

It is the overall character of the area which the designation of a Conservation Area seeks to preserve or enhance, rather than just the individual buildings.

Designation of Conservation Areas

How is a Conservation Area designated?

Hart District Council is responsible for considering which areas within Hart District should be designated as Conservation Areas, and for keeping these areas under review.

Before a Conservation Area is designated the following important steps are undertaken:

•A survey is carried out or undertaken to assess an area’s special characteristics. Where these are of architectural or historic interest, the boundary of the Conservation Area is drawn to include them.

•The Town or Parish Council is then normally asked to comment and other parties may also be consulted before Hart District Council considers the proposed area.

•Once agreed by the Council, a Notice of Designation is published. This is placed in the London Gazette and a local newspaper as well as being entered on the Local Land Charges Register. (Formal designation takes effect from the date of the Committee approval, not the date of the press advertisement).

•Once a Conservation Area has been designated it is kept under regular review, the boundary may be amended as appropriate. Additional areas are also considered for designation on a regular basis.

Hart has a rolling programme to prepare a Conservation Area Proposal Statement for every Conservation Area.

How is the boundary of a Conservation Area decided?

Surveys and analysis are carried out in order to define the extent of the areas of special character. Both buildings and open spaces forming their setting may be included. As far as possible, the boundary will follow recognisable features, such as roads, rivers or hedgerows so that the key features and the spaces surrounding them are easily defined on the ground.

Enhancement in conservation areas

What does the Council do to maintain and improve the character or appearance of a Conservation Area?

Hart is committed to encouraging positive improvements to all Conservation Areas. This is achieved primarily through the preparation of a Proposal Statement for each Conservation Area; effectively a strategy to guide development proposals and identify future enhancement possibilities. Conservation Area Monitoring Groups may then be established to co-ordinate implementation of the Strategy and plan specific improvement schemes.

In undertaking this positive approach to improving the character or appearance of your Conservation Area, the Council hopes that pride and awareness of the local environment will be fostered, and local people encouraged to play an active role in enhancing their own environment.

Some typical elements of a Conservation Area: