A Homeowner’s Guide to Preservingand Enhancing the Character of

Your Conservation Area

MAY 2007

The Purpose ofthis Guide

To help people understand how to repair, maintainand restore features and details on old houses.

People who live in conservation areas benefit the mostif these areas are kept attractive and well maintained.Conservation areas are assets which must be carefullylooked after if they are to be of value to futuregenerations. The regular and appropriate maintenanceand repair of historic buildings can keep problems atbay or minimise their impact, saving the inconvenienceand cost of undertaking more substantial repairs lateron.

As the repair, maintenance and restoration of detailsto dwellings is outside of the control of the planningsystem, it remains the right of the owner of a houseto undertake repairs and certain types of alteration asthey please. Therefore this guidance is not compulsoryand is simply advice.

Flats, shops offices and other commercial buildingsrequire planning permission for any works which affecttheir external appearance, and therefore the elementsof this guidance which concern maintenance areapplicable to buildings which contain flats or are incommercial use.

1 INTRODUCTION

A H O M E OW N E R ’ S G U I D E TO P R E S E RV I N G A N D E N H A N C I N G T H E C H A R AC T E R O F YO U R C O N S E RVAT I O N A R E A

How to use thisGuide

This Guide is designed to be downloaded from theCouncil's website either as a complete documentor in sections. Select an item from the contentspage. The guide will explain:

l The conservation value of this feature.l Best practice in maintaining and repairing this

feature.l How to sympathetically restore this feature if

it is absent.

The guide also looks into best practice with regard to theinstallation of satellite dishes, alarm boxes, externalpipework, flues and damp proofing as well as best practicefor the spaces about houses and boundary walls.

2 INTRODUCTION

A H O M E OW N E R ’ S G U I D E TO P R E S E RV I N G A N D E N H A N C I N G T H E C H A R AC T E R O F YO U R C O N S E RVAT I O N A R E A

A H O M E OW N E R ’ S G U I D E TO P R E S E RV I N G A N D E N H A N C I N G T H E C H A R AC T E R O F YO U R C O N S E RVAT I O N A R E A

3 INTRODUCTION

TheBackground tothis Guide

During the District-wide Conservation AreaAssessment Programme local communitiesrequested information on how to best maintainthe character of their historic properties.

Over the course of 2001 to 2006, the ConservationTeam fulfilled the Council's statutory duty to reviewthe district's conservation areas, and to publishproposals for their preservation and enhancement.This process resulted in the production ofConservation Area Assessment documentscovering all 59 conservation areas in the district.These documents can be viewed at the Council'swebsite at:

www.bradford.gov.uk/conservationassessments

and at the planning office and library local to eachconservation area.

While the planning and legal controls that apply toconservation areas go some way to protecting theirspecial character and interest, the review ofconservation areas carried out by the ConservationTeam found that in all conservation areas inappropriaterepairs or alterations to dwellings which are outsideof the control of the planning system are harming orcompromising the special interest of these areas andtheir value as heritage assets.

In order to address this issue the Conservation Teamproposed to provide homeowners with guidanceconcerning the repair and maintenance of historicbuildings in virtually all of the conservation areas.Consultation with the communities in each conservationarea found there was strong support for this proposal.In many areas the production of guidance for the repairand maintenance of historic buildings was seen asthe number one priority.

1. Maintenance, Repair and Restoration

a. Chimneys ....................................................................... 6b. Stone Slate Roofs ........................................................... 8c. Slate Roofs.................................................................... 10d. Rainwater Goods .......................................................... 12e. Stone Elevations ........................................................... 14f. Render .......................................................................... 18g. Windows and Doors ...................................................... 20h. External Joinery ............................................................ 26i. Ironwork ........................................................................ 27

2. Modernisation

a. External Features ..........................................................29

3. Gardens and Boundary Walls

a. Gardens and Trees .......................................................32b. Boundary Walls .............................................................34c. Outbuildings ..................................................................37d. Hard Surfaces ...............................................................38

Council Contacts ............................................................39

Useful Contacts ...............................................................41

Suggested Contractors ..................................................43

Further Reading ..............................................................45

4 CONTENTS

A H O M E OW N E R ’ S G U I D E TO P R E S E RV I N G A N D E N H A N C I N G T H E C H A R AC T E R O F YO U R C O N S E RVAT I O N A R E A

Contents