CONSERVATION Nation
Conservation Nation: Why a change could be as good as a rest(oration)
Brimming with rich history, conservation areas are blessed with the presence of architectural treasures. From picturesque Tudor cottages and grand historic houses, to inner-city Victorian warehouses and contemporary model housing estates, conservation areas are nestled across beautiful urban and rural locations, from city landscapes to countryside towns.
Designed to preserve the unique architecture that spans across our lands, conservation areas come with regulations that don’t just apply to ‘Listed’ buildings – it’s a designation that affects each and every property in the defined conservation area, no matter the size, scale or usage. Protected by local authorities to preserve their nature, this means that homeowners of a property in a conservation area need permission before making certain changes to their home.
So how can homeowners achieve the dream home they desire while complying with conservation area regulations? It’s all about understanding and choice: beginning with a thorough understanding of the purpose and impact of conservation guidelines, and an awareness of the choice and quality of contemporary solutions that meet those guidelines. With that choice comes opportunity – a chance to specify more sustainable, long-lasting products with fewer maintenance requirements, but the same heritage aesthetic – like the carefully designed windows which form The Residence Collection.
Understanding ‘Conservation Areas’
Local Planning Authorities are obliged to designate any conservation area within their remit that are ‘of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance.’ What draws these 10,000+ areas together – a thread throughout history – is their aesthetic merit, and a mandate to preserve it.
So, if your home restoration falls within a conservation area designation, choosing appropriate materials like The Residence Collection’s purposefully designed windows may well be required by your local authority’s Conservation Officer.
Specifying windows that meet the standard
With those guidelines in mind, it might seem that the way to go is to specify restoration or traditional products – in the case of windows, that’s often single glazing with timber frames. A technology unchanged since the Georgian or Victorian eras, chosen purely for aesthetics rather than functionality.
But times have changed, and so has technology, because conservation areas don’t apply to materials, or to functionality. If the best modern products present an appropriate outward appearance, there’s nothing stopping homeowners specifying windows with much higher sustainability credentials, and radically improved thermal and security performance with minimal maintenance requirements.
Windows like those designed at The Residence Collection are compliant with conservation area regulations, with traditional colours and finishes that perfectly match painted timber. They also maintain equal sightlines, matching heritage features like Georgian bars and hardware. Using documented historical window designs as their starting point, and the latest generation of uPVC for totally reliable performance – none of the warping, swelling, rotting or paint flaking on traditional timber windows can be found. Externally, they look like flush timber frames and internally, they’re warm, insulated and functional.
Work with planning guidelines, not against them
Whether your property falls within a conservation area or any other planning requirements based on preserving beautiful architectural heritage, it pays to work with those planning guidelines, not against them. Don’t try to shoehorn in unsuitable replacements, and don’t try to ‘make do’ with poor quality original features years past their best.
Your budget is best spent on windows and doors that you know will meet conservation guidelines, saving you time and money in the process. That’s why The Residence Collection works with Local Planning Authorities to approve the use of their windows and doors wherever possible, helping preserve properties for many years to come whilst continuing the aesthetic legacy of the past.
To find out more about Conservation Areas and the solutions that The Residence Collection provides, visit https://www.residencecollection.co.uk/planning-and-conservation/.