Planning for Conservation

In England, there are approximately 10,000 conservation areas. These areas protect the historical presence that glows through the architecture of a location. If your property lies within a conservation area, there are restrictions on what you can do to that building. However, in most cases, there is no restriction on changing your windows, as ‘permitted development’ allows you to perform certain types of work without planning permission.

Despite this, further restrictions can be enforced in conservation areas. If an ‘Article 4 Direction’ sits on top of a conservation area, specific development is not approved under ‘permitted development’ and therefore needs a planning application. This can apply to individual properties or defined areas, so if your property is in a conservation area and has an Article 4 Direction in force, you can’t alter the windows without first getting planning permission.

Unfortunately, even stricter restrictions exist if your property has a ‘Listed Status’. Unlike conservation areas, a listed status only applies to buildings. Under government control and overseen by Historic England, three different grading systems determine the national importance of a building and if it is worthy of protection. These buildings are challenging and almost impossible to develop as their appearance, and the use of modern materials against traditional materials are major concerns.

With an understanding of conservation areas and their restrictions, our devoted team at Roseview Windows are improving buildings without changing their traditional appearance. Our sash windows allow conservated areas to maintain the historical architecture stapled in British heritage from the late 17th century to the early 20th century.