From time-to-time, we receive questions from residents about the Oxhey Conservation Area. In recent years there have been well-publicised disagreements between homeowners and the council. This article was written by Karen Clarke-Taylor, councillor for Watford’s Oxhey ward, to help clarify issues around the conservation area.
Did you know that if you live in a conservation area, you may need to get planning permission to install solar panels, paint your front door a different colour, or replace any external doors or windows?
So, why does Oxhey Village have a conservation area and how do you keep within the rules? Following a request from OVEG on behalf of concerned residents for additional heritage protection in 2011, Oxhey Village was granted conservation area status in 2013. It was considered to be “an excellent example of late Victorian residential development, with many buildings of distinctive local character and an interesting street layout … which had retained many of its original features.”
The purpose of a conservation area is to ‘protect the existing historic fabric’ rather than prevent all development within it. This means that the focus of the planning authority (in the case the council) is on protecting street scenes, views and the historic characteristics of an area.
If you live in the Oxhey Village conservation area, your property is subject to an ‘Article 4 direction.’ This means that you will need planning permission before making changes that would normally be considered ‘permitted development’. This includes replacing doors and windows that are visible from the street, changing the colour of your property, building a small-scale extension, demolishing all or part of your property, or undertaking works on trees in your garden (front or back) above a certain size.
If you aren’t sure whether you live in the conservation area, or you need more information, you can use Watford council’s conservation area webpage. You can also use this webpage to request advice from the planning team. It is always safer to check first to avoid finding out later that you’ve carried out unauthorised development and potentially facing enforcement.
If you do need planning permission, you will need to submit an application via the Planning Portal on the council website along with the relevant supporting information. Full details about what plans, drawings or supporting information are needed can be found on the Planning Portal. The supporting information will depend on the nature of the work you are planning, but you are likely to need to include a heritage statement.
The heritage statement is crucial for developments in conservation areas, but this isn’t as daunting as it might sound. In many cases an applicant can prepare it themselves after reading a few examples from previously approved applications, which are publicly available on the Planning Portal.
If you prefer to phone the planning team, you can call on 01923 278293 – planning officers aim to be as helpful as possible and will offer constructive advice. Your local councillors are also happy to help with any questions!
Karen Clarke-Taylor, Councillor, Oxhey ward
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