Conservation Areas in Bassetlaw - a guide for householders

Conservation Areas were first introduced by the Civic Amenities Act in 1967. This gave local planning authorities the power to designate Conservation Areas in their administrative areas.

Within Bassetlaw, 33 Conservation Areas have been designated since 1967. Both Bassetlaw District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council can designate Conservation Areas in Bassetlaw. These are listed below together with the date each was last designated:

What is a conservation area? 

Section 69(3) of The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 defines a Conservation Area as an “area of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance”.

Conservation Areas vary in size and character. That character is often derived from the many features, including the architecture of individual buildings or groups of buildings, the historic layout of properties, their boundaries and thoroughfares, views and vistas along streets and between buildings, characteristic materials, scale and detailing of buildings, shop frontages and signage, street furniture, hard and soft surfaces, trees and open spaces.

When assessing whether to designate a Conservation Area, the Local Planning Authority will carry out a detailed survey of the area in question. This includes a review of each building, each area of open space, boundary treatments and mature trees. In addition, historic mapping, old photographs, newspaper archives and local history publications are researched. Finally, a boundary is drawn which best encompasses those areas which merit inclusion. Once a Conservation Area is designated, the District Planning Authority has a statutory duty to oversee its preservation or enhancement through its planning functions.

In addition, Section 71(1) of the 1990 Act requires the Local Planning Authority, from time to time, to: “formulate and publish proposals for the preservation and enhancement” of its Conservation Areas. These proposals take the form of a Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan. All the Council’s Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan documents are available on the ‘Conservation and Heritage’ section of the website.

This guidance is aimed solely at householders within the district’s Conservation Areas. For advice on how the designation of a Conservation Area affects other land uses (such as agriculture, industry, retail, etc), please contact the Council’s Conservation Team.

What restrictions are there within a conservation area? 

In addition to the standard planning controls over development, there are further controls that apply specifically to land and buildings within Conservation Areas. For householders, these additional controls relate to development ‘within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse*’ such as extensions, cladding, roof alterations, chimney alterations, new outbuildings satellite dishes or solar photovoltaic equipment. Further controls may be also be put in place by the Local Planning Authority through the implementation of an Article 4(1) Direction. Wider restrictions in the Conservation Area also cover the demolition of buildings and boundary structures, works to trees and the display of advertisements.

New development is also required to be designed to preserve or enhance the character and appearance of the Conservation Area. Issues which need to be considered include design, scale, layout, form and materials.

Enforcement action may be taken against unauthorised development which is harmful to the character and appearance of a Conservation Area.

*From the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (as amended).

Development within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse

In addition to controls that apply to all dwellinghouses, there are further controls that relate solely to dwellinghouses within Conservation Areas, as set out in full in the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended). These are summarised below:

• Extensions to dwellinghouses - Planning Permission (PP) will be required for any extension that would extend beyond the side wall of the dwelling. Two storey extensions also require PP, as does the addition of an extra storey onto an existing dwelling.
• Cladding or rendering the exterior of a dwellinghouse - No part of the exterior of a dwellinghouse can be clad in stone, artificial stone, pebble dash, render, timber, plastic or tiles without PP.
• Alterations to the roof of a dwellinghouse - PP must be obtained for any enlargement of the roof (e.g. dormer windows).
• Erecting new outbuildings in the grounds of dwellinghouses - The construction of any new detached building within the curtilage of a dwelling requires PP if it is situated on land between a wall forming a side elevation of the house and the property boundary.
• Installing, altering or replacing chimneys, flues or soil vent pipes on dwellinghouses - The installation, alteration or replacement of a chimney, flue or soil/vent pipe on the wall or roof slope which fronts a highway or forms either the principal elevation or side elevation of the house will require PP.
• Microwave antennas (including satellite dishes) - The installation of an antenna on a chimney, wall or roof slope which faces onto, and is visible from a highway, or on any building which exceeds 15 metres in height, requires PP.
• Installing, replacing or altering solar PV (solar photovoltaics) or solar thermal equipment on a dwellinghouse - If the solar panels would be on a flat roof, a ‘prior approval’ submission is required. If they are located on the ground and closer to a highway than the dwelling, then again, a ‘prior approval’ application is required.

Article 4(1) Directions

Planning authorities have the power to introduce stricter planning controls in Conservation Areas by means of an Article 4(1) Direction*. An Article 4(1) Direction further removes ‘permitted development’ rights where it is considered that such rights would have a damaging effect on the character of an area. They can ensure that traditional details such as sash windows, timber doors or chimney stacks are not lost through alterations which would otherwise be ‘permitted development’. An Article 4(1) Direction can be cover a wide area (such as a Conservation Area) or can be imposed on an individual building.

*Article 4(1) of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended).

Demolition 

A listed building will always require Listed Building Consent (LBC) for demolition. However, the total or substantial demolition of unlisted buildings within a Conservation Area, of over 115 cubic metres in volume, requires Planning Permission for ‘relevant demolition in a Conservation Area’ (previously called ‘Conservation Area Consent’). The substantial or total demolition of any wall over 1 metre high facing a highway, waterway or open space, or any wall over 2 metres high elsewhere, will also require Planning Permission.

Works to trees

Section 211 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 states that six weeks’ notice must be given to the District Planning Authority for any cutting down, topping, lopping or up-rooting of trees in Conservation Areas. There are, however, two main exceptions:

• Where a tree is covered by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO), a formal application seeking approval to carry out works to trees protected by a TPO must be made to the District Planning Authority; and
• Where works to trees have been approved by planning permission in conjunction with development proposals, tree applications are not required.

Display of advertisements 

Advertisements are regulated by controls set out in the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007 (as amended). The display of advertisements in Conservation Areas are subject to additional restrictions. External illumination of signs, for example, often requires Advertisement Consent. Tethered balloons, illuminated signs in retail parks and business premises, certain flags (such as those displayed by house builders) and advertising hoardings around building sites might also require Advertisement Consent.

New development with conservation areas 

The purpose of a Conservation Area designation is not to arrest development, but rather, to guide it so that the special character of an area is not adversely affected. New developments should be sympathetic in their design, form and layout, whilst also using appropriate materials. They should complement established patterns and strengthen local distinctiveness, but not necessarily imitate existing buildings. Before applying for planning permission, it is advisable to contact the Council to discuss your proposals. The value of employing a suitably qualified architect/designer with a track record of conservation projects to draw up your proposals cannot be stressed too highly.

All applications for development or works within Conservation Areas are subject to Section 72(1) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. This states that for new development in Conservation Areas:

“…special attention shall be paid to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of that area”.

Planning applications in Conservation Areas are also subject to Policy ST40 and Policy 41 of the Bassetlaw Local Plan 2020-2038 (adopted May 2024):

Policy ST40 (The Historic Environment)

1. The historic environment will be conserved and enhanced, sensitively managed, enjoyed and celebrated for its contribution to sustainable communities. Proposals will be supported where they:
   • give great weight to the conservation and re-use of designated heritage assets and their settings, including for appropriate temporary use, based on their significance in accordance with national policy;
   • make a positive contribution to the character and local distinctiveness of the historic environment, including through the use of innovative design;
   • positively conserve or enhance a historic designed landscape;
   • maintain, conserve, sustain or return to beneficial use designated or non-designated assets;
   • capitalise in an appropriate and sensitive manner the regeneration, tourism and energy efficiency potential of heritage assets;
   • positively secure the conservation and re-use of ‘at risk’ heritage assets;
   • improve access and enjoyment of the historic environment where appropriate, particularly where they retain, create or facilitate public access to heritage assets to increase understanding of their significance.
2. Applicants will be required to submit evidence in line with best practice and relevant national guidance, examining the significance of any heritage assets affected through a Heritage Statement, including any contribution made by their setting. The level of detail should be proportionate to the asset’s significance, and the results submitted to the Nottinghamshire Historic Environment Record. In some circumstances, further survey, analysis and/or recording will be made a condition of consent.

Policy 41 (Designated and Non-Designated Heritage Assets)

Designated Heritage Assets 

1. Proposals for development, including change of use, that involve a designated heritage asset, or the setting of a designated heritage asset will be expected to:
   
   • conserve, enhance or better reveal those elements which contribute to the heritage significance and/or its setting;
   • respect any features of special architectural or historic interest, including where relevant the historic curtilage or context, its value within a group and/or its setting, such as the importance of a street frontage, traditional roofscape, or traditional shopfronts;
   • be sympathetic in terms of its siting, size, scale, height, alignment, proportions, design and form, building technique(s), materials and detailing, boundary treatments and surfacing, or are of a high quality contemporary or innovative nature which complements the local vernacular, in order to retain the special interest that justifies its designation;
   • ensure significant views away from, through, towards and associated with the heritage asset(s) are conserved or enhanced;
   • in the case of a Conservation Area, to have regard to the established urban grain and ensure that spaces between and around buildings, such as paddocks, greens, gardens and other gaps, are preserved where they contribute to the Conservation Area’s character and appearance.
     
     
2. Proposals that will lead to substantial harm or total loss of significance will be refused unless the substantial harm or loss is necessary to achieve substantial public benefits that outweigh that harm or loss, and it can be demonstrated that:
   • the nature of the heritage asset prevents all reasonable uses of the site;
   • no viable use of the heritage asset can be found in the medium term through appropriate marketing that will enable its conservation;
   • conservation by grant-funding or some form of not for profit, charitable or public ownership is demonstrably not possible;
   • the harm or loss is outweighed by the benefit of bringing the site back into use.

Proposals that would result in less than substantial harm to the significance of a designated heritage asset will only be supported where it can be demonstrated that the public benefits will outweigh any harm identified.

Finally, planning proposals within Conservation Areas are subject to policies contained in Section 16 of the National Planning Policy Framework (December 2024).

Enforcement of unauthorised work 

Where work has been carried out without planning permission and it is considered that such works are harmful to the character of the Conservation Area, then an enforcement notice may be served requiring remedial measures to be taken. For more information on the enforcement of planning control, please contact the Council’s Planning Enforcement Team.

Contact us 

For further advice on issues relating to Conservation Areas, please contact the Council’s Conservation Team:

Telephone: (01909) 533427
Email: conservation@bassetlaw.gov.uk

Alternatively, please write to: Conservation Team, Planning Services, Bassetlaw District Council, Queen’s Buildings, Potter Street, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, S80 2AH.

For help and advice on submitting planning applications, please contact Planning Services:

Telephone: (01909) 533533
Email: planning@bassetlaw.gov.uk

Disclaimer: this is a general guide for householders in conservation areas only. For advice on specific proposals, you should contact the Council via the above contact details or visit the planning section of the Council's website. 

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Last Updated on Monday, December 8, 2025