Each conservation area has been designated due to its special architectural or historic interest.
Conservation area designation has various effects, which are:
- complete or substantial demolition of a building requires consent
- consideration must be given to whether proposals preserve or enhance the conservation area
- work to trees (over a certain size) requires notice to the council
- planning permission is necessary for cladding of houses
- reduction in the size of extension which may be constructed without planning permission.
Many changes to doors, windows, roofs, chimneys and boundary walls remain permitted development – work which can be carried out without planning permission – in conservation areas. In some cases special controls called Article 4 Directions have been introduced.
Additional information for guidelines
The conservation area guideline documents contain sections (typically appendices) that outline and summarise the council’s statutory powers in relation to the control of works, and conservation specific policies in the local plan (content elsewhere in the guidelines may also touch on these matters).
Please note that the legislation and policies which inform aspects of the guideline’s contents have been subject to change.
In particular, the provisions relating to Conservation Area Consent (CAC) have been replaced by Planning Permission.
It should also be noted that any conservation specific development plan policies mentioned in the guidelines have been superseded by policy PCS 23 of the adopted Portsmouth Plan.
The changes, in particular those relating to CAC, may affect the type of application it could be necessary to submit.
If you are considering works to, or within, a designated heritage asset, you are strongly encouraged to formally submit a pre-application enquiry to the planning service.