Building and Planning
What is a Conservation Area?
Conservation areas are defined in the Civic Amenities Act 1967 as “areas of special architectural or historic interest the character and appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance”. Designed to give local authorities more control over the development of certain areas – conservation area consent needs to be obtained for work done in that area – and the council will take into account the potential impact of any work that you do on the conservation area – doesn’t automatically mean that permission will be refused – can also have an impact on development of surrounding areas as well – councils are not required to keep a statutory list but will be able to advise whether an area is covered – should also be revealed on your Local Search. Conservation Area consent dealt with through normal planning processes – Important to remember that all trees in a Conservation Area are usually protected as if they were the subject of a tree preservation order.
Other frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between planning and building regulation consent? Building Regulation Approval is required whenever new structures are built or existing ones are altered. ...
- Does the work I am doing need planning consent? Not all work requires planning consent. You do not usually need it for internal changes ...
- I have hired a company to do some building work. They say that they do not need to contact the Local Authority to check the work. Is this right? Several industry self-assessment schemes have been set up and these are designed to reduce pressure ...
- Does the work I am doing need building regulation consent? To determine whether the work you are doing requires building regulation consent you must first ...
- Does my conservatory need building regulation consent? The very first thing to establish is whether what you are building actually is a ...
- Does my conservatory need building regulation consent? The very first thing to establish is whether what you are building actually is a ...
- What is FENSA? Fenestration Self-Assessment scheme – industry self-certification scheme for glass and windows – set up by ...
- What is CORGI? CORGI is the gas safety watchdog – set up in 1970 to help reduce the ...
- What is a competent person? A person or company registered as a competant person with a relevent professional body. This ...
- I have paid my friend to do some work to my house, but he is not a member of an industry scheme. Is this a problem? There is no legal requirement to employ a competent person. To cut costs you may ...
- What is a Listed Building? Some buildings are listed because they are considered to be of special architectural or historical ...
- What is Listed Building Consent? Listed building consent is required to carry out work to a Listed Building which will ...
- What is a Tree Preservation Order (TPO)? Order made to protect a tree. It makes it an offence to cut down, top, ...
- My neighbour is building an extension and I want to stop him. What can I do about it? Can only really object if the extension requires planning consent – if the extension is ...
- I have received a planning notice. What do I do now? Find out what the application is for and who made it – should be basic ...
- I want to build an extension on to my property. Can I do this? It depends – main issue is planning consent: first determine if the work you are ...
- The local authority has contacted me threatening enforcement action over my extension. What do I do? Should immediately stop any work. You will need to consider whether the council’s threat is ...
- I am installing a bathroom. Do I need planning or building regulation consent? Generally installing a bathroom suite would not require either Planning or Building Regulation Consent. If ...
- I am installing some new windows. Do I need planning or building regulation consent? You will not require Planning Consent for the installation of new windows, unless of course ...
