The Council will conserve and where appropriate enhance the historic environment recognising the positive contribution it makes to the character and distinctiveness of Chelmsford through the diversity and quality of heritage assets. This includes wider social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits.

The Council will designate and keep under review Conservation Areas in order to preserve or enhance their special architectural or historic interest with an emphasis on retaining and where appropriate improving the buildings and/or features that make a positive contribution to their character or appearance.

The Council will conserve or enhance the significance (including any contribution made by its setting) of Listed Buildings, Scheduled Monuments and Registered Parks and Gardens with an emphasis on preserving and where appropriate enriching the social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits that these heritage assets provide.

The Council will seek the protection, conservation, and where appropriate and important to their significance, re-use and/or enhancement of historic places and sites on the Heritage at Risk Register and the local buildings at risk register.

When assessing applications for development, the Council will place great weight on the preservation or enhancement of designated heritage assets and their setting. The Council will encourage applicants to put heritage assets to viable and appropriate use, to secure their future preservation and where appropriate enhancement, as appropriate to their significance. Policy DM13 sets out how the Council will consider proposals affecting the different types of designated heritage assets and their significance.

The Council will seek to conserve and where appropriate enhance the significance of non-designated heritage assets and their settings, which includes buildings, structures, features, gardens of local interest and protected lanes. Policy DM14 sets out the Council’s approach to the protection and retention of these assets. Chelmsford contains a number of sites of archaeological importance. As set out in Policy DM15, the Council will seek the preservation and where appropriate enhancement of sites and their setting of archaeological interest.

For more information, including links to the referenced policies, please visit Chelmsford’s Local Plan here.