Conservation area best practice

[DogDaysNeverEnd]

I'm helping out a family member with some possible home improvements and just looking for experiences really. House is in a conservation area, but is not nationally or locally listed. The "best practice" guide is lengthy and excludes a lot of modernisation, including things for energy efficiency like double glazing and solar panels. Also, some parts are nonsense like paint colours that go against listed building requirements in some cases (I know people with listed properties). So I'm wondering how hard and fast is conservation area best practice and can it be challenged? Is conservation area worse than planning permission, and worse case, what are the consequences for not following best practice?

First consequence is that your neighbours will parade outside your house with tasteful and grammatically correct posters demanding that you are dunked in the village pond. Then your cleaner will leave, the window cleaner will blank you , and your invitation to bridge parties at the Old Vicarage will cease.

Some villages snd towns take this very seriously. I would try and speak to a heritage officer at the planning authority. There should be a local plan for this area. They vary widely so what is ok in one town won’t be ok in another. They vary. Generally you need to know the rules for that area. They can be draconian snd stupid!

I live in a conservation area and there's all sorts of double glazing and dodgy brickwork and solar panels. The council seem to work on a complaint only basis, or if you apply for planning for something they expect it to be "in character."

no bridge invite! How will they live that down? I'd like to insert a quip about rubbers but I can't because I don't really know what they are.

I'm waiting to hear back from the heritage officer and in the meantime have read the local plan. I get the point but there's a lot of guff in it and it's frustrating that basically if it doesn't look like the 1850's then forget about it. This has only come in in the last couple of years. If family had made the changes in 2018 all would be good, now time has been frozen so everyone can play pretty pretty model village despite several buildings that would be an eyesore in any locality. Hey ho.

I managed to duplicate the thread and got some aggressive responses on the other one so just to reiterate; regarding the paint colour - the area as a whole is supposed to be white paint according to the conservation area best practice guide. I noted that and messaged neighbour with listed property to say "ooh did you know you're supposed to have white windows?" Neighbour replied, "no, I have signed document from the listing of the property that says they must be brown". So who's right? For the record this particular area all the houses, listed or not have brown paintwork. I'm not advising or going against anything, just saying there are contradictions so which is the planning top trumps? White would look ridiculous surrounded by all the other houses that are brown, but that would be following the guide.

The response on the other thread wasn’t aggressive. I simply told you that a failure to follow the rules in a conservation area is a criminal offence punishable by two years imprisonment.

You can find that aggressive, I mean locking someone up for two years is arguably aggressive, but it’s also the law.

Hth

I feel your frustration. The first I knew of my house being listed was the letter through the post. No appeal allowed, any previous plans for the future had to be abandoned. It is one of a row of houses that was listed about fifteen years ago. By then, every house had been altered internally, some had velux windows, others large extensions out the back. No two were the same. So all that realistically could be listed was the facade, the roofline, and the front walls.

Your best bet is to be open about plans with the heritage and planning offices. They may suggest that you submit draft plans that can be altered and expanded on, then submitted in greater detail when you have taken on board all the restrictions. This can save a lot of time and fees.

At the same time, the houses are leafletted about insulation, solar panels, double glazing, etc, none of which seems possible. Even back garden levels can be challenged.

:

But this property isn’t listed I think the OP said. In my local conservation area it’s widely ignored. Including by the Parish Council who refurbished the open space and by numerous modern shop fronts and signage. Conservation areas are hit and miss and the local councillors are not in prison!

However the best advice is from the Heritage officer. If they want white windows I’d be pleased! If they wanted oak with ancient glass I’d be mortified. At least white is easily achievable. In essence I agree with BuilderBabe. Heritage Officer and be nice to them!

@BluerThanRobinsEggs

I live in a conservation area and there's all sorts of double glazing and dodgy brickwork and solar panels. The council seem to work on a complaint only basis, or if you apply for planning for something they expect it to be "in character."

One of my siblings lives in a conservation area and lots of the houses had work on them before it became a conservation area.

For example about 40% of the housing, including my sibling's, have double glazing out of character as it was first put in before the housing became a conservation area.

About another 30%, particularly the few council houses that are left, have double glazing that is in character of the conservation area guidelines and the rest have no double glazing like the neighbours on both sides.

Thanks for the replies, had a totally enigmatic response from the heritage officer that is "we'll see once you submit plans". So including Schroedinger's windows that have to be simultaneously brown and white plans have to be drawn that may or may not be deemed "in keeping".

I get the principles, I really do, I just wish it was more clearly defined so it wasn't pot luck of how interested the council are and the mood of the day. It would save planning for something that ultimately will be knocked back. My relative will most likely not bother as they are getting on and don't want to fuss, which is why I said I'd look into things, but that means a less comfortable house for them.

@DogDaysNeverEnd
This is why we have a dysfunctional planning system. Unclear policies, too complicated, little help or guidance, difficult and expensive to navigate and lengthy decision-making process.

I think the window colour is a red herring. They rarely bother with this level of detail. Just paint them white. You can do some maintenance without worrying about the conservation area status. If you changed the windows, took down a porch, put up an illuminated sigh, ripped out an old wall or railings, put up a big satellite dish, you would have problems with the council. White windows? I don’t think so.