 What
is a Conservation Area?
Conservation Areas are ‘areas of special architectural or historic
interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve
or enhance’. Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act
1990.
Local Authorities are required by law to designate Conservation Areas
and to formulate policies and proposals for their preservation and enhancement.
Designating a Conservation Area
The most important factor when designating a conservation area is ‘quality
of place’ or ‘local distinctiveness’. In Wrexham County
Borough, there is a wealth of architectural history, character and diversity.
Conservation Areas include village centres, town centre suburbs, military
barracks, canal structures and rural buildings.
Although the character of each area is unique, important factors include:
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single buildings or building groups;
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buildings and their relationship with spaces;
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architectural detailing;
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building materials;
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views;
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colours;
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landscaping;
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rivers;
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street furniture,
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local environmental conditions; and
- historical changes.
Council Strategy
The Council is currently undertaking a review of every conservation area
to ensure defensible boundaries and to retain their special character.
The purpose is to: -
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Develop a strategy to balance the interests of conservation and new
development.
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Provide a key point of reference between officers, developers and
householders to assist in devising schemes that are in keeping with,
or enhance the character of each Conservation Area.
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Provide Conservation Area Assessments
and Enhancement Plans, with detailed policies on its character and
its preservation and enhancement. All documents are subject to public
consultation.
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Target funding sources to improve the quality of the environment,
to attract business and investment and to reinforce local distinctiveness
and civic pride.
Wrexham’s Conservation Areas
There are 21 Conservation Areas in the County Borough:
Conservation Area Policies
Conservation Area policies are to be found in the Council’s Local
Development Plan, which sets the principle of development and stresses
the need for protecting the character of Conservation Areas.
These are:
What restrictions are there in a Conservation Area?
Some controls exist that are over and above normal planning permission
and you advised to seek advice from the Planning Department. Controls
do not intend to be negative, but positive management of change to protect
each area’s special character.
- Planning permission may be required if you alter the walls and roof
of a dwelling house
- Conservation Area Consent may be needed for demolition. This excludes
Listed Buildings, which are protected separately.
- Consent for Work to Trees may be needed for tree pruning and removal.
This excludes trees that are protected under a Tree
Preservation Order (TPO)
See What Can I Do In A Conservation Area?
for further guidance.
Some Conservation Areas have been judged so special that they have additional
controls. This is known as an Article 4 (2) Direction. These are: -
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Chirk
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Fairy Road, Wrexham
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Holt
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Salisbury Park, Wrexham.
See Conservation Area Assessments for
further information.
This means that planning permission will be required for any alterations
or developments to the frontages and front curtilages of dwelling houses
where they face a road, public footpath, waterway or bridleway, to ensure
that the work carried out is in sympathy with the special character of
the area.
This includes:
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Extending the house
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Building structures or laying hard surfaces within its curtilage
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Changing building materials such as external frames, doors, windows
and rainwater goods, timber framing, render etc
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Painting the house or a building or enclosure within the curtilage
of a dwelling house (but not re-painting in the same colour)
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Any other alterations to windows and external doors
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Any alterations to its roof including rooflights
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Erection, alteration or removal of a chimney on the house or on a
building within its curtilage
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Installing a satellite antennae
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Erection, demolition or changes to a gate, fence, wall or other means
of enclosure within its curtilage.
There is no fee required for Listed Building Consent, Conservation Area
Consent, Article 4(2) Directions, or Consent for Work to Trees. Please
link here for Application
Forms.
Guidance on Design and Materials
When building a new property or adding to your property within a Conservation
Area, design and materials are crucial features in preserving and enhancing
the area's special character.
Give consideration to:
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siting and massing
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development type – e.g. terrace, detached, single or storeyed
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roof shape and rainwater goods
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windows, doors, porches
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building materials
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shop front design and advertisement signs
New design does not necessarily mean an exact copy of existing styles,
or a standard building type, but a modern style that fits into the street
or area by contributing positively to the character of the Conservation
Area. A design statement may be requested as part of a planning application.
Sources of Funding
We are actively involved in schemes with a variety of funding partners
to ensure that funding is targeted at enhancing the character of conservation
areas, including:
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tourism section,
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economic development department,
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regeneration bodies,
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waterway bodies,
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housing department and
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transport department as part of a wider and more comprehensive scheme.
These include:
Funding may also be available from CADW for enhancement of unlisted and
listed older buildings within the Conservation Area. This contributes
towards the repair and restoration of ‘outstanding’ buildings
and enhancement schemes within Conservation Areas.
Other sources of funding may be available from Wales Tourist Board and
the Council’s various housing grants, such as the
Please see Grants
Available for further information.
Guidance for Repairing Older Buildings
All buildings require routine maintenance to prevent damage and decay.
Lack of maintenance creates many problems, and there is usually pressure
to change building materials to modern types such as PVC, cement or concrete.
However, such materials are generally unacceptable in Conservation Areas
as they rarely match the original in style, depth, appearance and character.
More help can be found in the Planning Department's Local
Planning Guidance Notes.
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Roofs
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Repair or reinstate in original material on a like for like
basis.
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Invisible ventilation, such as under eaves ventilation, not
roof vents
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Flat roofs have on average a lifespan of twenty years and with
the exception of modernist buildings rarely look acceptable
on historic buildings.
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Chimneys |
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Guttering
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Renders
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Lime based to older properties, allowing the building to breathe.
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Cement renders can cause lasting damage to stone, as they are
too hard and waterproof for many historic building materials.
This can create moisture within original building material that
may result in damp. A building that appears to have original
render may mean that the brick or stonework behind it was always
to be covered.
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Pointing
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Should not protrude face of stone
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Strap or ribbon pointing unacceptable, as draws attention away
from main wall material
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Historic mortars typically lime based, allowing natural movement
and evaporation between joints. Cement mortar causes extensive
damage to stone, usually because it is stronger than it, causing
moisture to 'leak' out of stone, causing spalling and flaking.
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Windows and Doors
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Staining and uPVC not appropriate in Listed Buildings / Conservation
Areas.
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Style and proportion vitally affect the character and appearance
of elevations.
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Consider thickness and moulding of glazing bars, size and arrangement
of panes and other details such as panelling and pediments.
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Contact: Planning Environment, Planning Department, Lambpit Street,
Wrexham, LL11 1WL. Tel: 01978 292019.
Fax: 01978 292502. E-mail: planning@wrexham.gov.uk
What Can I Do
In A Conservation Area?
Listed Building Consent
Planning Environment
Planning index
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