Conservation Areas
Every historic town or village has a distinctive character of its own which is the result of a fusion of landscape, building materials, building traditions and economic activity; the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. This local character gives people a sense of belonging and community and the notion of Conservation Areas first came into being in 1967 as a way of trying to protect it.
In legal terms, 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 the Council has a duty to take a look at its area every so often and identify such areas so that they can be designated.
It is important to recognize that a Conservation Area may be designated because it has special historic interest - not all Conservation Areas are pretty!
Twenty one areas within the District have so far been identified as having the necessary special interest and designated as Conservation Areas. They represent a range of different types of settlement. Many are rural, agricultural communities containing houses, cottages and farm buildings of traditional construction. Ashby Canal and Measham represent the Industrial Revolution whilst architecture of more pretension is exhibited in the Georgian towns of Ashby de la Zouch and Castle Donington and the country houses of Staunton Harold and Coleorton Hall.
Effects of Conservation Area Designation
General advice on the effects of Conservation Area designation can be found in 
Conservation Areas: An Outline Guide (PDF Document, 0.9 Mb).
Conservation Areas are intended not solely to protect individual buildings but to protect the general character of the area. Building uses, materials, scale of buildings, street furniture, surfacing, spaces between buildings and traffic impact are all issues which may affect the quality of an area.
Conservation Area status is not meant to stop all change but rather to ensure that change is managed in a way that works with the areas' special character rather than against it
Probably the most important effect of designation is the greater emphasis placed on matters of design when planning new development. The District Council is required to pay special attention to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of that area when considering planning applications within Conservation Areas. This does not mean that nothing will ever change, but rather that new development will respect the established character of the area. New buildings will usually be similar to the existing in design, materials and scale. Planning applications in Conservation Areas are also advertised more widely than normal, with a notice being displayed on site and in the local press.
Conservation Area designation does not impose many additional planning controls over and above those which apply in other areas. There are, however, some instances where permission may be required for works to dwellings specifically because they are in a Conservation Area:
- Some extensions will require permission
- All roof dormers require planning permission
- Some outbuildings, pools and oil/gas containers will require planning permission
- Some satellite Dishes will require planning permission
- All external wall claddings in Conservation Areas require planning permission
- Some domestic micro-generation equipment will require planning permission
This list is a brief summary of a complex document and should not be relied upon as a definitive statement. It relates to dwellings only, not commercial buildings, mixed-use buildings, or flats. It is always advisable to check with the Council on the need for planning permission and there is a Planning Permission Preliminary Enquiry Form (PDF Document, 0.1 Mb) to do this.
In specific cases additional planning controls can be imposed using an Article 4 Direction. Two of the District's Conservation Areas are covered by such Directions: Staunton Harold Article 4 Direction (PDF Document, 0.3 Mb) and Lockington Article 4(2) Guide (PDF Document, 0.3 Mb).
Another significant effect of designation is a degree of control over demolition. A special permission called 'Conservation Area Consent' is required for the total or near-total demolition of most buildings, walls and fences.
Trees can make a significant contribution to the quality of a Conservation Area and, for those not covered by a separate Tree Preservation Order (TPO), six weeks notice must be given to the Council of the intention to do any works (including topping, lopping, felling or up rooting) to them. A form to use giving this notice can be found on the Council's web site and a link is provided at the end of this leaflet.
Conservation Area Appraisals
The Council has prepared appraisals for each of the twenty one conservation areas which set out what it considers to be special about each one. These can be downloaded by following the appropriate link below.
The appraisals were prepared some years ago but their content still remains largely valid. A programme of updating and revision is under way and the web site will always have the most up-to-date version available.
Conservation Areas in North West Leicestershire
* Following the review the boundary of the conservation area remained as originally designated
Last updated: Fri 9th July, 2010 @ 16:48
