What is a Conservation Area?

A Conservation Area is an area of land which has been defined by the Council as having special architectural and/or historic interest. In these areas, there is a requirement under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 to preserve or enhance the character and/ or appearance of the area. The Act also states that local planning authorities should formulate and publish proposals for their preservation and enhancement which are typically found within Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans (See below) which should be updated every five years.

Tamworth has a total of 7 conservation areas and in these areas there are additional controls over the demolition of buildings, as well as the requirement for the Council to consider the preservation and enhancement of the character and appearance of buildings and structures when determining planning applications. The table below shows the Conservation Areas and the accompanying appraisals and management plans along with Article 4 directions.

Conservation Area	Conservation Area Boundary Map	Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan	Conservation Management Plan Update	Article 4 Direction
Albert Road/Victoria Street	Albert Road/Victoria Street boundary map	Albert Road/Victoria Street Appraisal & Management Plan	Albert Road/Victoria Street Management Plan Update	Albert Road/Victoria Street Article 4 Direction
Amington Green	Amington Green boundary map	Amington Green Appraisal & Management Plan	Amington Green Management Plan Update	Amington Green Article 4 Direction
Amington Hall Estate	Amington Hall Estate boundary map	Amington Hall Estate Appraisal & Management Plan	Amington Hall Estate Management Plan Update	N/a
Dosthill	Dosthill boundary map	Dosthill Appraisal & Management Plan	Dosthill Management Plan Update	N/a
Hospital Street	Hospital Street boundary map	Hospital Street Appraisal & Management Plan	Hospital Street Management Plan Update	Hospital Street Article 4 Direction
Tamworth Town	Tamworth Town boundary map	Tamworth Town Appraisal & Management Plan	Tamworth Town Management Plan Update	Tamworth Town Article 4 Direction
Wilnecote	Wilnecote boundary map	Wilnecote Appraisal & Management Plan	Wilnecote Management Plan Update	Wilnecote Article 4 Direction

 

During 2016 each of the conservation areas were reviewed and a new management plan and policies developed to manage each of the areas for the next 5 years was created. In March 2017 Cabinet adopted all of the 7 Conservation Management Plan Review documents, however it should be noted that these only set new policies and review the conservation area, they do not supersede completely the existing appraisals undertaken and should be read in conjunction with them.

What are my responsibilities as an owner/tenant of a building within a conservation area?

Every building, whether old or new has the ability to impact upon the character and appearance of the Conservation Area, even if you are located on the periphery of the area, but not within it (referred to as the setting of the Conservation Area). It is therefore essential that any new building works which you propose are considered in relation as to how the works will impact upon the Conservation Area, and this impact is to the front as well as to the rear and sides of the property. Within these areas we will be looking for quality materials to be utilised which are authentic with the period of the dwelling, and discourage the use of inferior products such as UPVC windows, doors and rainwater goods which can have negative impacts upon the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.

Planning Restrictions in a Conservation Area

The former “conservation area consent” does not exist anymore, so any works within a conservation area will require planning consent. Conservation Areas have additional controls with regards to demolition whereby any building or structure with a volume of 115m3 or greater will require planning consent for its demolition, and which also may include ‘facadism’ where only the façade is retained. Demolition of historic buildings and structures within a Conservation Area should be seen as a last resort, with adequate justification in the form of engineering surveys, viability reports being required to support the demolition. 

There are also additional controls regarding the felling of trees within a Conservation Area where anyone who wishes to fell or do other work to a tree must give the council six weeks notice of their intention. See our Trees webpage for further information.