Public ‘should be aware’ of conservation area rules

PEOPLE living in potential conservation areas should be aware of the impact the status could have, a councillor says.

Leicester City Council is considering a conservation area in the Fosse ward, to be called St Paul’s, and is also looking to extend the West End Conservation Area to include Dulverton Road.

Nigel Porter, councillor for Aylestone Ward, which contains the Aylestone Village Conservation Area, said: “It is important that people know fully what it means to be in a conservation area.

“There have been cases in the past where people have put in double glazed windows at huge expense and then councils have tried to get them ripped out.

“Do people really want to be in a position to do their bit to save the planet because they’re living in a conservation area? So the council needs to explain it.”

Restrictions to protect heritage can only be enforced based on how the area looks when it becomes a conservation area.

Once the designation is agreed, householders who want to demolish or make changes to a building may have to get planning permission.

This can cover demolishing a building of at least 115 cubic metres or a boundary wall or fence visible from the road when it is over one metre in height.

If a building is thought to add to the heritage of an area, it must be proven to be structurally unsound for demolition to be granted.

New buildings or extensions will only be granted if the changes match the material and designs of the other buildings in the area.

The more visible a building is to the public, the greater the need for the changes to match the area’s design will be.

Restrictions may also cover work done to gates, fences and walls and painting the outsides of buildings.

Changes to the interior do not require planning permission unless the building is listed.

Permission is needed to cut down or prune a tree that has a diameter of over 7.5 centimetres, 1.5 metres from the ground.

Conservation area status gives better protection from unwanted developments and can see the value of homes increase.