The Conservation Team of Bradford Metropolitan District Council is currently undertaking an assessment and review of each of the district’s existing conservation areas and considering other areas that may be worthy of designation.
A conservation area assessment document is being produced for each. These documents define the character of the area and identify what is important and should be preserved and where there are opportunities for change. In addition proposals are put forward as to how the character and interest of the area can be enhanced. The documents are used as a tool in determining planning applications in the area and targeting of resources, they may also form the basis of an application for funding to repair derelict properties, restore traditional features and other environmental works. They are plans for the long-term management of the area and although the affect on planning decisions maybe immediate, the idea of identifying enhancement proposals is to get public support for them, which gives leverage for their implementation in the future.
There is a strong emphasis on involving local residents, visitors and users of the areas in the production of the documents; consequently each is undergoing a period of public consultation. The purpose of this is:
- To ensure that the document produced is as accurate and comprehensive as possible;
- To benefit from local knowledge and experience, this may relate to the history of the area or in the identification of issues;
- To ensure that we are all working towards the same objectives;
- To increase understanding of what conservation area designation means and encourage local involvement in the conservation of the area; and
- To ensure that everyone has a say on the management of their local area.
As each of the conservation areas is unique with its own range of issues, each assessment and consultation process is slightly different. There is, however, an established format that can be amended according to the circumstances.
The Consultation Process
- A draft assessment, summary and map showing proposed alterations to the boundary (if any) is produced for the conservation area;
- Briefing sessions are given to relevant parish councils and design groups;
- The draft Conservation Area Assessment and map is put on deposit in local libraries, planning offices and on the Council’s website;
- A press release is made stating where the documents can be accessed and the date of the public workshop;
- The summary of the assessment document and accompanying map are distributed to addresses within and around the conservation area, along with a comments sheet and invitation to attend a public workshop (copies are also sent to ward Councillors and for internal consultation);
- A public workshop is held (details below);
- The public are given about a month from the date of the public workshop to return comments sheets and any other relevant information to the Conservation Team;
- Each person who returns a comments sheet with their address is responded to personally and any of their queries answered;
- The feedback from the public meeting and the comments sheets is evaluated and any comments that do not relate directly to the work of the Conservation Team are forwarded to the relevant department;
- Amendments are made to the full text, summary and boundary, where deemed to be appropriate (all changes to the boundary must be justified);
- The amended documents are put before members for final approval, at which point they become working documents;
- A press release is made when the documents have gone through all the legal requirements;
- The full document and summary is updated in libraries, planning offices and on the website and planning officers briefed on its content.
(This process is not appropriate for all areas and is amended accordingly. For example in commercial areas it may be more appropriate to consult the trading organisations and other established groups, rather than blanketing the area).
The Public Workshop
People are requested to return a booking form if they wish to attend the public workshop, this is to ensure there is sufficient interest to justify a full meeting (where this is not the case, interested parties will be contacted individually) and that the numbers do not exceed the capacity of the venue. It also allows the team to staff each workshop adequately.
The public workshops are intended to engage participants in the conservation of their area and incite their long-term interest in the subject; they are therefore extremely interactive. A brief presentation is given by the Conservation Team on what conservation areas are, what it means to live or work in a conservation area and a summary of what is special about the particular conservation area in question and the proposals for its preservation and enhancement. The participants are then asked to work in groups around tables and asked to complete the following tasks:
- Discuss the conservation area boundary and any proposed changes and draw an acceptable boundary with justification on the maps provided;
- Discuss what contributes to the character of the conservation area;
- Discuss whether the group is in favour of additional protection for the conservation area;
- Each group is to come up with six individual words that describe the conservation area;
- Each individual is asked to identify the three most important of the proposals and stick post-its numbered 1,2 and 3 on posters around the room;
- Discuss any other conservation issues and report back.
One person in each group is asked to act as facilitator, to ensure that the group gets through each of these activities and to record the findings.
During this time the Conservation Team circulate amongst the groups answering any questions.
At the end of the allotted time, one member of each group is requested to feedback on what the group has discussed.
Often a short question and answer session concludes the meeting.
This is the general framework of the meeting that has so far received much positive feedback from those who have attended. It is altered according to the individual circumstance of each conservation area and the number of people who attend.
