City of Westminster
Item No.
5/2002
Decision-maker
Date
Title of Report
CABINET MEMBER
FOR CITY
DEVELOPMENT
6 September
2002
Draft Lisson Grove Conservation Area
Audit – adoption for consultation
purposes
CLASSIFICATION FOR GENERAL
RELEASE
Wards Involved
Report of
Director of Planning and
Transportation
Church Street & Bryanston and Dorset Square
Policy Context
The Civic Review Initiative has a target to adopt 12
Conservation Area Audits as supplementary
planning guidance by 2002/03 in order to implement
the programme to prepare audits for the City’s 52
conservation areas. The review of conservation area
boundaries forms part of this process
Financial Summary
There are no financial implications arising from
this report at this stage.
1.
Summary
1.1
National guidance and advice places the responsibility on the City
Council to produce detailed appraisals of each of its 53 conservation areas
and to consider the designation of further ones. The Council is reviewing its
work programme to complete this process.
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RECOMMENDATION
2.1
That the Cabinet Member for City Development resolves to adopt the
draft Lisson Grove Conservation Area Audit for consultation purposes.
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Background Information
3.1
On 22 October 1998, Sub-Committee agreed a priority list of
conservation areas to be audited as part of the City Council’s comprehensive
review of its then 51 conservation areas (there are now 53). This review is a
statutory duty and the timetable has since been updated.
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3.2
Given the complexity and scale of the City’s conservation areas this
process has been broken into three stages involving the production of miniguides (General Information Leaflets), directories and audits. The audits
represent the third and final stage of the preparation of appraisals of all of the
Borough’s 53 conservation areas. Boundary reviews are being undertaken by
consultants in conjunction with the preparation of Conservation Area Audits.
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Detail
4.1
The Council as part of its review of the Conservation Area Audit and
boundary review programme is updating and editing audits prepared by
consultants for consultation purposes and combining the Directories and
Audits. There will therefore be two documents for each conservation area, the
General Information Leaflet and the Audit. The Conservation Area Directory
for this one was adopted on 22 January 1998.
4.2
The information from the Directory has been incorporated into the
Audit. The historic background and key features section forms part of the
main text of the audit document and the other sections form a factual
appendix including designation reports, lists of listed buildings etc. This should
ease the production and management of the documents and provide one
document for each conservation area containing all the relevant information.
This will involve minimal change to the work already carried out.
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Financial Implications
5.1
There are no financial implications arising from this report at this stage.
Expenditure costs will be met from existing revenue budgets.
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Legal Implications
6.1
Under Section 69 (1)(a) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and
Conservation Areas Act) 1990 every local authority “shall from time to time
determine which parts of their area are areas of special architectural or
historic interest the character and appearance of which it is desirable to
preserve or enhance”. Planning Policy Guidance Note 15 ‘Planning and the
Historic Environment’ interprets this responsibility by advising local authorities
to periodically review existing conservation areas and their boundaries.
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Consultation
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A comprehensive programme of consultation will be undertaken and
will involve English Heritage, national amenity societies, local resident groups
and ward Councillors. A public meeting, advertised in the local press, will be
held in March before the audit is put before the Cabinet Member for City
Development to be adopted as Supplementary Planning Guidance.
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Human Rights Act 1998
The Human Rights Act came into force in England on 2 October 2000. It gives
teeth to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which was
ratified by the UK in 1951 and has been in force since 1953. The Act confers
the direct protection of English law in relation to Convention rights. For the
purposes of the role of a local planning authority the relevant provisions are:
Article 2 - right to life, Article 6 – right to a fair hearing, Article 8 - right to
respect for private and family life, Article 14 – prohibition of discrimination and
Article 1 of the First Protocol - protection of property
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Conclusion
9.1
The attached draft audit provides a sound basis for the future
stewardship of the conservation area, meeting the statutory requirements
placed on the council. Any appropriate amendments will be made following
the extensive consultation which will form the next stage of the process.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES ABOUT THIS REPORT OR WISH TO
INSPECT ANY OF THE BACKGROUND PAPERS, PLEASE
CONTACT GARETH JONES.ON 020 7641 8019; EMAIL ADDRESS
gjones@westminster.gov.uk ; FAX NUMBER 020 7641 2338
BACKGROUND PAPERS
1.
Report to Planning and Development Committee, 13 July 2000.
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Lisson Grove Conservation Area mini-guide
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…………………………………………………………………………………………
For completion by Cabinet Member

Declaration of Interest
I have no interest to declare in respect of this report
………………………………. Signed ……………………………. Date
I have to declare an interest
State nature of interest ……..…………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………….. Signed ……………………………. Date
(N.B: If you have an interest you should seek advice as to whether it is
appropriate to make a decision in relation to this matter.)
For the reasons set out above, I agree the recommendation(s) in the report
and reject any alternative options which are referred to but not recommended.
Signed ………………………………………………
Cabinet Member for ……………………………….
Date …………………………………………………
NOTE: If you do not wish to approve the recommendations, or wish to make
an alternative decision, it is important that you consult the report author, the
Director of Legal and Administrative Services , the Director of Finance and, if
there are staffing implications, the Head of Personnel (or their
representatives) so that (1) you can be made aware of any further relevant
considerations that you should take into account before making the decision
and (2) your reasons for the decision can be properly identified and recorded,
as required by law.
Note to Cabinet Member: The decision will now be published and
copied to the Members of the relevant Overview & Scrutiny Committee.
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