Conservation Areas
Overview
Is my property in a Conservation Area? You can find out by looking at our conservation areas table below.
If your property is in a Conservation Area and you are considering works to your property, please view the advice regarding this on the Planning Portal website.
The Council's prime consideration when designating a conservation area is the character of the area, rather than that of individual buildings. The character of an area might be defined by the historic layout of property boundaries and thoroughfares; its particular 'mix' of uses; characteristic materials; appropriate scaling and detailing of contemporary buildings; the quality of advertisements, shop fronts, street furniture and hard and soft surfaces; and by vistas along streets and between buildings.
There is no standard specification for conservation areas. They may be large or small; they may embrace whole town centres or may cover squares, terraces, village centres and smaller groups of buildings.
You should contact us if you are in any doubt as to whether your property or land falls within a conservation area.
Do you have a Conservation Area query? Contact the planning team.
Is your property covered by an Article 4 direction?
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 area's 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 Council have produced a leaflet entitled ˜Alterations to your home in the Faversham Conservation Area regarding the Article 4(2) direction in Faversham and how it might affect you and your property.
Our Designated Conservation Areas
The Council currently has designated 50 conservation areas:
Note that maps of current designations can also be inspected at Swale House in Sittingbourne or by viewing the Swale Borough Local Plan (2008).
There is no standard specification for conservation areas. They may be large or small; they may embrace whole town centres or may cover squares, terraces, village centres and smaller groups of buildings.
The Council's prime consideration when designating a conservation area is the character of the area, rather than that of individual buildings. The character of an area might be defined by the historic layout of property boundaries and thoroughfares; its particular 'mix' of uses; characteristic materials; appropriate scaling and detailing of contemporary buildings; the quality of advertisements, shop fronts, street furniture and hard and soft surfaces; and by vistas along streets and between buildings.
You should contact us if you are in any doubt as to whether your property or land falls within a conservation area.
Request a call back from Conservation Officer
If your conservation area query has not been answered from the information contained on this page, you can click to request a call back from the Conservation Officer.
In order to provide an efficient and effective response, please provide the following information;
- Address of the property or land that you are enquiring about;
- Basic detail of your enquiry
- Your name and contact details
Contact the Conservation Officer using our contact form.
