Swale planners encourage people to contact them if they are concerned that unauthorised works are being carried out in a conservation area. If you have concerns then you should contact them: www.swale.gov.uk/planning-enforcement/
Article 4 direction (see below) withdraws automatic planning permission granted by the General Permitted Development Order.
A Conservation Area is “an area of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance” as defined in the Planning (Listed Buildings & Conservation Areas) Act 1990, as amended. Some 976 hectares (2.3%) of the Borough are designated as Conservation Areas. There are presently 50 Conservation Areas in Swale.
There is more information about Conservation areas, and a list of them, on the Swale website, many villages have Conservation Areas. There are three in Faversham, all with detailed maps and appraisal and management strategy.
Area | Designation | Last Review | Appraisal and Management Strategy |
Faversham -Faversham Town | 1971 | 9.9.2004 | Faversham Appraisal |
Faversham – Ospringe | 16.6.1982 | 9.9.2004 | Ospringe Appraisal |
Faversham – Preston Next | 9.3.1976 | 9.9.2004 | Preston Appraisal |
Swale provide advice on their website
Conservation Areas
Additional advice on conservation areas can be found in the Supplementary Planning Guidance for conservation areas.
Home Alterations in a Conservation Area
Swale Borough Council has made Article 4 and 4(2) Directions in some of its conservation areas to give additional protection to certain features of single dwellings that would not normally be protected by conservation area designation alone, but which the Council considers are key elements of the areas’ special architectural or historic interest. These directions can restrict permitted development rights or your right to carry out certain works without the benefit of planning permission.
The Faversham Article 4 (2) Direction Map (PDF 2.5mb)
Article 4(2) Directions apply across most of the conservation area to control unsympathetic change. “Inappropriate alterations not only spoil the appearance of the area but can also devalue a property and those around it.” Planning permission is required for a wider range of alterations.
The following alterations require planning permission on any unlisted dwelling, where the work fronts a highway, a waterway or an open space:
The Council website points out that:
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