Conservation advice

Local councils have the power to designate Conservation Areas areas of special architectural or historic interest.

Designation of a Conservation Area gives control over the demolition of buildings and provides the basis for policies designed to preserve or enhance all the aspects of character or appearance that define an area's special interest.

How are conservation areas chosen for designation?
Conservation Areas vary, ranging from historic town centres to industrial and rural villages.
They are designated usually because of their buildings but they can also be designated because of their history, architecture, layout or private spaces, such as gardens, parks and greens; trees or street furniture. Conservation areas give broader protection than listing individual buildings and all features within the area, listed or otherwise, are recognised as part of its character.

Who designates conservation areas?
The council has the power to designate, and it has designated areas that people generally feel have a special character worth protecting or enhancing.

What does designation mean?
Within a Conservation Area the council has extra controls over:

Demolition
To fully demolish a building, or even parts of it, needs Conservation Area Consent. Generally we view an application from the standpoint of trying to retain the building, so a case needs to be made for its demolition. There are no fees for this application and there is a right of appeal against refusal.

Minor developments
In a conservation area you need planning permission for some changes to buildings that would normally be permitted. Changes requiring consent include cladding a building, inserting dormer windows, or putting up a satellite dish visible from the street.

Trees
Anyone proposing to cut down, top or lop a tree in a Conservation Area, whether or not it is covered by a Tree Preservation Order, has to give notice to the council. The council considers the contribution the tree makes to the character of the Conservation Area and if necessary it will make a Tree Preservation order to protect it.

What does a council normally do in conservation areas?
The council consults widely on proposals affecting a Conservation Area. This might include periodic enhancement schemes including proposals to:

Prepare development briefs for sites in conservation areas.
Ensure that new buildings harmonise with their neighbours.
Make environmental improvements.
Control advertisements and shop signs.
Ensure that traffic control measures harmonise with the character of the area.
Make grants available for the repair of buildings.

What policies are used to control development?
Our main body of conservation policy is in the Luton Local Plan which includes conservation policy with wider planning policies for the area. Policies in the Conservation section generally presume against the loss of features which add to the special interest of the areas. These policies are used in the determination of planning applications in Conservation Areas.
Local residents and businesses generally are aware that areas have been designated and that their character and appearance are protected.

Luton's heritage
The town has grown up on the road and rail routes from London where they pass through the Chiltern Hills. The earliest settlement was in the north of the Borough, and remains can be seen at two Scheduled Ancient Monuments: Wauluds Bank (Neolithic) and Drays Ditches (Iron Age). The early town developed around the parish church in Saxon times. Brewing was a major occupation from the medieval period, and many fine old pubs still exist. Straw plaiting was established in the area by the early seventeenth century, becoming a major centre of the hat industry in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries which at its peak employed 25,000 people.

The twentieth century saw further expansion with the growth of Vauxhall Motors and other engineering industries. The economy boomed in the inter-war years, attracting people from all parts of the British Isles. Post-war immigration from overseas has added to a rich cultural diversity. Latterly London (Luton) Airport has experienced major growth. With its associated businesses it is now the town's largest employer, and is likely to be the major industry in the forseeable future.

The Environment and Heritage Team maintains the Sites and Monuments Record of sites and buildings of archaeological, historic or architectural interest throughout the Borough. It also organises annual Heritage Open Days in September. These give access to sites and buildings not normally open to the public.

Conservation areas in Luton
Luton has three primarily commercial use conservation areas: the Town Centre, Plaiters Lea (the former hatting district) and High Town Road (the core of Luton's earliest suburb), plus the primarily residential Rothesay Conservation Area that was designated in 2003. A major traffic management and environmental enhancement project is about to be implemented in the High Town Road Conservation Area.

Listed buildings In Luton
There are about a hundred buildings throughout the town that are included on the Statutory List of buildings of special architectural or historic interest. There is one Grade 1 listed: the medieval St. Mary's parish church. All the others are Grade 2. Most date from the nineteenth century. Many other buildings are worthy of protection and there are several Art Deco designs from the period when Luton experienced major growth in the 1920s and 1930s. The town has 175 non-statutory locally listed buildings.

Natural Environment In Luton
Despite being an urban area Luton has strong policies on the natural environment. The Environment and Heritage Team advises on Local Agenda 21 Sustainability Policy, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Policies, environment strategy and strategic landscape issues, as well as being involved in Environmental Impact Assessments for development proposals. The town straddles the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and there are five wildlife corridors running through the town that link into the surrounding countryside.

Heritage Economic Regeneration Schemes (Hers) Grants
The team administers UK and European Union funding for two HERS schemes that cover the High Town Road and Plaiters Lea Conservation Areas. To date financial assistance has been given to about thirty buildings for repairs and restoration of original features, although current funding is coming to an end.

General advice and assistance
The Environment and Heritage Team provides advice to all Borough Council Departments and to the public on these aspects of environment and heritage. It responds to consultations on planning applications, and has inputs to planning policy documents. It is involved in local partnerships on environmental issues including the North Chilterns Trust. It administers the Luton Design Awards and the annual Luton In Bloom competitions.

Luton main information sources and Documents

Environment and Heritage Team

Conservation and urban design planning - tree management

Conservation and urban design planning - tree preservation orders

Conservation and urban design planning - conservation areas

Statutory Register - listed buildings

Ecological / geological standards. Environmental Services (Land and Premises)

Landscape - character assessment. Environmental Services (Land and Premises)

Conservation and urban design planning - building and landscape design services

These leaflets can be obtained from the above address
Sites and Monuments Records.
Luton's Heritage: Buildings of Architectural and Historic Interest

High Town Road Conservation Area Enhancement Scheme
Plaiters Lea Conservation Area Enhancement Scheme and Design Strategy
An Outline of the HERS Scheme with application form
Rothesay Conservation Area leaflet

Shopfront Design Guide (Supplementary Planning Guidance)
Designing for Sustainability: A Summary of Good Practice (Supplementary Planning Guidance)
Designing for Community Safety (Supplementary Planning Guidance)

Luton Hat Trail, two leaflets
Luton Town Centre: Historic Pubs and Breweries Trail leaflet
Luton 1937 and 1997 Heritage Open Days leaflet
Luton in the 1930s leaflet
Luton Town Hall leaflet
Luton Town Hall Clock

Bedfordshire and Luton Biodiversity Action Plan
A Nature Conservation Strategy for Luton
Luton's Local Agenda 21 Action Plan
Luton Environment Strategy
Discover Luton's Living Landscape
County Wildlife Sites Review
The Chilterns Local Products Guide

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