What is a Conservation Area?
Conservation areas exist to manage the special historic, cultural and architectural interest of a place, in other words the features that make it unique. Designated by the local council as the planning authority, special planning rules and building controls apply to protect the special features. Conservation areas are designated for the value they represent to broader society, the protections they offer to the story of the area, its inhabitants and ownership.
Conservation areas benefit everyone with their stable, consistent and coherent cityscape and legible history,
“The lives of ordinary working people and the houses they lived in are not as visible in the historical record as those of kings and queens and stately homes. The Brookmill Road Conservation Area offers rare evidence of an ensemble of streets and modest houses largely unaltered since they were built for labourers and artisans in the mid-late 1800s.” Dr John Price, FRHistS, SFHEA, Senior Lecturer and Head of History Department, Goldsmiths, University of London.