In order to inform the emerging Local Plan, Stoke-on-Trent City Council is in the process of reviewing all of the city's conservation areas (CAs). This involves reviewing the boundaries of the original 23 areas, as well as the rights owners have over changes they can make to their properties.
Boundary changes have already been adopted for 20 areas, which include amalgamating the former Victoria Place and Hitchman Street CAs in Fenton into one new area to be know as the Victoria Road Conservation Area. The two remaining areas, Albert Square in Fenton and Winton Square by Stoke Station, are currently under review.
Much of the work on the review was undertaken by Conservation Officer Jane Corfield before she left the authority in August last year, so was based on an unparalleled understanding of the heritage of the city. Surprisingly few buildings found themselves now inside the expanded areas, as in most cases the changes sought to encompass under-developed, derelict or greenspaces in order to create a buffer to protect the areas from unsympathetic development. This is particularly the case for the canal corridors of the Caldon and Trent & Mersey Canals, where several allotment gardens have been incorporate within the conservation area boundaries.
Our response to the consultation on the boundaries was overwhelmingly positive, although we did recommend changes regarding the calcining ovens at James Kent and the former Johnson Brothers sites, which have now been incorporated. We also suggested a more detailed appraisal be carried out of the Longton Town conservation area. The full response can be found here: https://www.potteries.org.uk/conservation-areas-review-summary-and-responses.
The boundary review consultation was followed by further consultation on the limits to permitted development rights - known as Article 4 Directions - for 18 of the 22 areas (two are not covered by these limits and two are currently under review), which closed in February this year. This was a complex document which referenced several different directions for each site, each removing specific permitted development rights (such as a right to extend a property or to paint the exterior of a dwelling). In an attempt to simplify the information, we set up a web page which shows which articles relate to which conservation areas in the form of a matrix: https://www.potteries.org.uk/article-4-directions-matrix. We hope this will provide a useful reference for members, planners and owners alike.
Again, the Society welcomed the review as the recommendations mainly reflected the articles already in place. We particularly welcomed the inclusion on protection for chimneys in some of the residential areas, as this had been a problem for the Society when responding to planning applications in recent months.
Overall, we have welcomed this timely review which can only strengthen the protection of our heritage in the most sensitive and distinctive areas in the city. Our thanks extends to the council's officers who were generous with their time and attended an online session, to members of the Potteries Bottle Oven Owners Club and the Heritage Network who endorsed our approach, and to the PHS members who took part in the consultation.
A full list of conservation areas in Stoke-on-Trent, including the revised boundaries, can be found on the Heritage Advice section of our website.