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Conservation Areas

Information on conservation areas

What is a Conservation Area?

Local planning authorities have a responsibility to designate Conservation Areas, which are defined as:
‘an area of special architectural or historic interest, the character and appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance.' – Planning (Listed Buildings & Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

If you live, work or own property in a Conservation Area, certain responsibilities are placed on both you and the council to preserve or enhance that special character and appearance.

  • In many cases, you must apply for permission to extend or demolish a part of a property;
  • Proposals for new development, signs and advertisements will need to be sensitive to their surroundings, and;
  • The council must be notified where works are proposed to prune or fell a tree.

Conservation Areas normally contain many listed buildings. These are either individual buildings or groups of buildings that are of special architectural or historic interest. Anyone who owns or lives near to a listed building should be aware that these are subject to their own special legal protection.

Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans

Since the conservation areas were originally designated, many villages have grown and, in some cases, this has had an effect on the character of some conservation areas. This means we need to keep the boundaries of conservation areas under review and to consider possible amendments to them.

Conservation Area Management Maps and Plans

Buffer Zones

The revised Conservation Areas with Management Plans and Appraisals include Buffer Zones. These are areas in which some types of development would have an adverse effect upon the character and integrity of the buildings and land within conservation areas.

Almost all of the newly designated conservation areas have Buffer Zones. We aim to ensure that development within Buffer Zones preserves or enhances the special interest of the conservation area and causes no harm to that special interest. Buffer Zones are also seen as being important in protecting views into and out from conservation areas by ensuring that they remain protected from the wrong type of development.

Contact

Email: conservation@sstaffs.gov.uk

Telephone: (01902) 696000

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