Three Things to Think About When Changing a Property in a Conservation Area

If you live in a conservation area, there are many things that you can benefit from – the beautiful landscape, the array of wildlife and the fact that the area is protected by planning regulations. However, the last point can also be the cause of a lot of stress if you are planning to make changes to your property, but it doesn’t need to.

If you live in a conservation area, or a listed building, then many people are under the impression that it is nearly impossible to get any permission to make changes to it. For example, you will not be able to build an extension onto your home. However, this is not true- it can be more of a challenge to make changes, but it is certainly not impossible. It is important when you are planning to do this that you consider some of the things that will affect your planning application…

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The Use of Traditional Materials

One of the main things to remember if you are wanting to get planning permission is that you will likely have to use materials for your building that are of the same style as the building is – for example, if you live in a timber framed cottage and want to build a new garage, think about something like these Timberpride oak framed garages, as this will be more in keeping with the original building.

Traditional Methods

Many older buildings were built by skilled craftspeople many centuries ago, and some of the methods used are of historic interest. This means that you will need to do replacements and renovations in many cases using the same methods as well as materials. There are still many traditional craftspeople in the UK but bear in mind that it may take more time to find one, and it will likely cost more than the more modern ways of doing things.

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Trees

In a conservation area, it is important to be aware of the trees that are surrounding your property and where they fit into your plans. You will need permission to make changes to most trees in a conservation area, even in some cases if you are just having them cut back, so be sure to do your research on this and take the trees into account.