Buying house in a conservation area?

[barleyskillet]

From neighbourhood gossip, the one thing most home owners often gets caught out is window replacement. Local council insists on timber replacement even though the existing ones have been UPVC including changing dormer exterior. I think it's Article 4 direction. I'm not sure what was the outcome of the appeal and the Council will use google street image for their case.

[anonymous-user]

Sheepshanks said:

Igurisu said:

We have made an offer on a house, not yet accepted. I've found from the local council website that the property is in a conservation area.

Should this not have been pointed out before you offered?

Depends on the EA - some may, some won't unless asked.

[TooMany2cvs]

barleyskillet said:

From neighbourhood gossip, the one thing most home owners often gets caught out is window replacement. Local council insists on timber replacement even though the existing ones have been UPVC including changing dormer exterior. I think it's Article 4 direction. I'm not sure what was the outcome of the appeal and the Council will use google street image for their case.

Mmm. Over the road from where we used to live (in a conservation area) replaced their windows. They bought very expensive hardwood windows.

They looked just like tupperware, though...

[Little Lofty]

A conservation area without an Article 4 attached is toothless. The planners can have their say if you need planning permission, but if the work you want to do is under permitted development then they have no say, so stuff like new windows etc can be done with whatever material you want. With an Article 4 you need permisssion for virtually everything, there is a big difference so worth checking if it has an Article 4 attached.

[dickymint]

j3gme said:

Usually lots of trees with tpo on them (tree preservation orders) check what's in the garden, as you cant even trim a tree with a tpo without planning permission.

Planning permission for tree work on TPO? I don't think so!

[j3gme]

dickymint said:

Planning permission for tree work on TPO? I don't think so!

It’s true this is a snap shot picture from our local council web portal

[Sheepshanks]

garyhun said:

Sheepshanks said:

Igurisu said:

We have made an offer on a house, not yet accepted. I've found from the local council website that the property is in a conservation area.

Should this not have been pointed out before you offered?

Depends on the EA - some may, some won't unless asked.

I'm wondering why it wouldn't have been highlighted - I'd have thought it was a positive feature. You see it mentioned often enough in listings.

[Igurisu]

Thanks again for the input, I've had a call from the agent earlier, our offer has been accepted.

Sheepshanks, I understand what you are saying but I assume that it would get picked up by my conveyancing solicitor anyway.

I was looking at the planning portal of the council website to look for planned developments or future SAMDev land allocation (Shropshire council). We don't have any plans to extend/modernise/change anything, just redecoration, we are happy with the property the way it is. Having looked a little more at the council website, the area is defined as part of the Shropshire AONB, so that works for us. It's why we like it there and have no plans to change anything.

[mr_spock]

Here in my Cambridgeshire village, I'm in an '80s house in a conservation area. I wanted to change my brown garage doors (which don't face the street) for black ones. I was told by the planning and conservation people that if what I wanted to do didn't require planning permission, I could do anything. I won't be extending or anything, but a PO enclosed the porch, and windows have been replaced at some point.

[anonymous-user]

Sheepshanks said:

garyhun said:

Sheepshanks said:

Igurisu said:

We have made an offer on a house, not yet accepted. I've found from the local council website that the property is in a conservation area.

Should this not have been pointed out before you offered?

Depends on the EA - some may, some won't unless asked.

I'm wondering why it wouldn't have been highlighted - I'd have thought it was a positive feature. You see it mentioned often enough in listings.

Simple estate agent omission? Maybe there was so much other stuff to mention that they had to stop somewhere? We can't really comment as we've not seen the marketing blurb, but I wouldn't assume it's anything sinister

[anonymous-user]

Igurisu said:

Thanks again for the input, I've had a call from the agent earlier, our offer has been accepted.

Sheepshanks, I understand what you are saying but I assume that it would get picked up by my conveyancing solicitor anyway.

I was looking at the planning portal of the council website to look for planned developments or future SAMDev land allocation (Shropshire council). We don't have any plans to extend/modernise/change anything, just redecoration, we are happy with the property the way it is. Having looked a little more at the council website, the area is defined as part of the Shropshire AONB, so that works for us. It's why we like it there and have no plans to change anything.

Yes, the questionnaire that the seller completes has a box to tick, unsurprisingly it's called, "in a conservation area"?

[planningisntfair]

if you are into developing your own home I wouldn't go anywhere near a conservation area....you get reasonable conservation officers but then there's the other ones! It also lets any busybody in your area have a say on what you do to your own home. Plus, your permitted development rights will be affected hugely!