|
|
A conservation area is defined as "An area of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance". There are 24 conservation areas within Elmbridge, which include historic town centres, village greens, a philanthropic retirement village, a 1920s motor racing circuit and river navigation channels. The Planning [Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas] Act 1990 places a statutory duty on the local planning authority to designate, review, preserve and enhance conservation areas. Each of the 24 conservation areas has a one page Statement of Designation, which provides a brief description of the area and its history. Recent heritage guidance now advises that more detail is required to provide a solid basis to understand the area and inform local plan policies, development control decisions and management proposals. A Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Proposals document provides written definition, analysis and appraisal of what makes an individual conservation area special and identifies actions for protection and improvement.
A number of Character Appraisals are being undertaken by Elmbridge Borough Council through a rolling programme which has been agreed by the Planning Committee. These have been completed for five conservation areas, four in East Molesey and Weybridge as part of the Community Heritage Initiative Project [CHIP] and one subsequently for Esher. CHIP was an innovative partnership project between Elmbridge Borough Council and English Heritage to encourage the local community to get involved with and understand their surroundings. The completed appraisal documents are displayed on the Elmbridge web site or to purchase from the Town Planning Division. The areas were identified as being particularly under threat from the pressures of development and the Giggs Hill Green and Thames Ditton Conservation Areas are now the next highest on the list of priority areas. Thames Ditton was originally designated as a conservation area in 1973 and Giggs Hill Green in 1977.
Community involvement is vital and the Working Groups, which were formed as part of the successful CHIP project were very important in helping to produce the final documents. Elmbridge are keen to continue this collaborative approach involving heritage professionals. the local community and the council. The Working Groups usually comprise members from a variety of residents, historical, amenity and conservation societies, local councillors and officers. Forum Heritage Services and Context4D have been appointed as the heritage consultants to facilitate the project, organise the workshops and co-ordinate and produce the appraisal and management proposals.
The degree of public interest and participation in the previous appraisals shows how important conservation and heritage issues are to people living and working within Elmbridge. We are now keen to progress the next appraisals and need the help and enthusiasm of the local community to undertake this work. A ½ day Start Up meeting took place on 16 October at the Civic Centre in Esher. This discussed the concepts of conservation areas, how to undertake a character appraisal, use historical information and how to look at a place and decide what makes it special. This was then followed by a one-day workshop on 22 October at the Thames Ditton Cricket Club Pavilion at Giggs Hill Green. The Working Party visited the two conservation areas and undertook an initial appraisal which will feed into the final Townscape Analysis Plan. It also discussed the threats to the character of the conservation areas and identified what these issues are.
The heritage consultants are now compiling the first draft of the character appraisal and management proposals document and a final meeting will be held at 3pm on Thursday 27 November to discuss this. Further feedback will be incorporated to produce the Consultation Documents which will then be subject to a six-week public consultation period commencing in December 2008/January 2009. During this period information will be sent to all residents and there will be an exhibition within the local area. If you would like to attend the feedback workshop in November could you contact the Conservation Admin Assistant on 01372 474822 by Tuesday 25 November so we can have some idea of numbers.
|View more information about conservation areas