Policy information sourced from the East Herts District Plan
HA4 Conservation Areas
New development, extensions and alterations to existing buildings in Conservation Areas will be permitted provided that they preserve or enhance the special interest, character and appearance of the area. Development proposals outside a Conservation Area which affect its setting will be considered likewise. Proposals will be expected to:
- Respect established building lines, layouts and patterns;
- Use materials and adopt design details which reinforce local character and are traditional to the area;
- Be of a scale, proportion, form, height, design and overall character that accords with and complements the surrounding area;
- In the case of alterations and extensions, be complementary and sympathetic to the parent building; and
- Have regard to any ‘Conservation Area Character Appraisals’ prepared by the District Council and safeguard all aspects which contribute to the area’s special interest and significance, including important views and green spaces.
- Where development proposals relate to Conservation Area Management Proposals the duty to preserve or enhance will be applied. Development proposals, including minor development under an Article 4 direction, will be expected to ‘preserve’ surviving architectural features identified as being significant to the character or appearance of the area or, where previously lost, to ‘enhance’ that character and appearance through the authentic restoration of those lost features,
Permission for the demolition of buildings or structures within a Conservation Area will only be granted if it makes no positive contribution to the character of the Conservation Area and the replacement is of good design and satisfies the above requirements of this policy.
For more information please see the District Plan