conservation area statement - Stroud District Council

CONSERVATION AREA STATEMENT – CONSERVATION AREA NO. 16 – TOP OF TOWN9. Traditional hanging signs make animportant visual contribution to thecharacter of the area, but these alsoneed to be carefully designed andsensitively located on the building.10. Where improvements or enhancementschemes are proposed for groundsurfaces and hard landscaping, itshould be remembered that the needfor road works and the installation ofservices is inevitable and ongoing;hence the area requires simpleapproaches to surfacing, which may beeasily patched. High quality materials,which accord with those traditionallyfound in the area should be used forboth hard landscaping schemes andground surfacing.11. Parking and traffic. Any opportunitywill be taken through the PlanningDevelopment Control process toimprove existing parking and servicingarrangements. Due regard will be hadto any proposals that may affect thecharacter of the Conservation Areathrough increased traffic generation.12. Development, which detracts from orobstructs an important view through,out of or into a Conservation Area willnot normally be permitted.13. Adjacent development: The LocalAuthority will take special care in thecontrol of development near oradjacent to the Conservation Area, anddevelopment, which may affect thesetting of a Listed Building. Suchdevelopment may not directly impingeon the area of building, but mayindirectly affect them (for example, byspoiling views or generating throughtraffic).14. Vacant premises over shops: The LocalAuthority will support bringing vacantupper floors back into use whereverpossible. Residential conversion wouldhelp to meet a widespread need forsmall housing units. There will be apresumption against grantingpermission for applications for shopconversions, which would eliminateseparate accesses to upper floors.Policies and design guidanceThe designation of the conservation area is notintended to prevent all changes. Change canbe a positive force, especially those that wouldenhance the character of the area. As a generalrule, however, it will be expected that worksrequiring Planning Permission will avoiddetracting from the character and appearanceof the Conservation Area and should, whereverpossible, positively preserve or enhance thosequalities. Under section 72 of the Planning(Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act1990, this requirement to pay special attentionto preservation and enhancement extends to allpowers under the Planning Acts, not only thosewhich relate specifically to historic buildings.The Local Planning Authority will thereforeapply the following proposals for preserving orenhancing the character of the ConservationArea when applications for works requiringPlanning Permission are considered.15. New buildings or the extension ofexisting buildings will be required toreflect and respect the existing patternof development especially in terms ofscale, proportion and massing, and intheir relationship to the highways.16. Materials should accord with the typeand mix traditionally used in the area.17. Proposals to erect fences, railings orwalls will only be allowed where theyare incorporated in the development ina similar way to those already inexistence and where they aresympathetic to the building on the siteand its immediate surroundings. Thedemolition of, or alteration to, walls orfences in or around the historic plotsand other private spaces will notnormally be permitted. The creation ofrun-ins for parking and hard standingwill not normally be allowed wherethis involves the loss of enclosurearound private front yards or gardens.18. The formation of new openings forwindows and doors shall accord withPage - 38 -