Conservation areas

Permitted development rights allow some minor developments to sometimes take place without specific consent, such as the building of a fence or small extensions to the rear of a property; this is outlined within the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO) (1).

Under an Article 4 Direction, part of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015, the East Riding planning department may withdraw permitted development rights for various types of development that affect the external appearance of a building within a conservation area. Article 4 Directions usually apply when the character of an area has acknowledged importance and would otherwise be threatened. Therefore if there is an active Article 4 Direction in your area, you may be required to obtain planning permission before carrying out work that otherwise would not need consent.

Currently the only conservation area in the East Riding with an Article 4 Direction is the village of Atwick, which covers a small number of properties regarding external windows and doors. The conservation team has more information on this if required.

A heritage statement is an additional, separate document which accompanies a planning application regarding the historic environment and is required by paragraph 189 of the National Planning Policy Framework, which states:

“In determining applications, local planning authorities should require an applicant to describe the significance of any heritage assets affected, including any contribution made by their setting. The level of detail should be proportionate to the assets' importance and no more than is sufficient to understand the potential impact of the proposal on their significance. As a minimum the relevant historic environment record should have been consulted and the heritage assets assessed using appropriate expertise where necessary. Where a site on which development is proposed includes, or has the potential to include, heritage assets with archaeological interest, local planning authorities should require developers to submit an appropriate desk-based assessment and, where necessary, a field evaluation.”

Essentially, the aim of a heritage statement is to assess the significance and history of a designated heritage asset, including conservation areas, listed buildings or works considered to be within the setting of a designated heritage asset. Secondly, it should discuss any potential impacts or benefits the development may cause and provide justification for the works.

A heritage statement must consult the Historic Environment Record (HER) as a minimum, please find out more information on the HER within the Heritage Guidance section below. However the building conservation team also recommend using archival material such as historic OS maps, conservation area appraisals, listing descriptions and other secondary sources such as Pevsner's Architectural Guides or Kelly's Directory.

Whilst anyone can complete a heritage statement, we strongly recommend using appropriate expertise such as a heritage consultant, as a statement of significance should highlight specific architectural or historic details that are easily overlooked. However, the building conservation team have created a template heritage statement below that can be downloaded/edited and guides you through the various sections. Finally, we strongly recommend the addition of photographs and maps as these can illustrate a point or justification you are trying to make.

Download our template for a heritage statement (word 00kb)