Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

Vale of White Horse District Council

Conservation areas in the Vale

One of the great assets of the Vale of White Horse is its fine inheritance of historic towns and villages. Many of these town and village centres have been designated as conservation areas to protect their special character and the contribution that they make to the wider character of the Vale.

The Vale currently has 52 conservation areas, which are listed in appendix 1 of the Local Plan. The Local Plan also contains policies relating to conservation areas which can be found in chapter 6. Both these documents can be downloaded from the right of the page. 

The Council has special powers and duties that apply only in conservation areas, which include: 

• Conservation area consent is needed to totally or substantially demolish any building within a conservation area
• Minor works that would not normally need planning permission outside a conservation area will need planning permission in a conservation area. These changes include certain types of cladding, inserting dormer windows, and putting up satellite dishes which are visible from the street 
• You must also give the Council six weeks notice before cutting, topping or lopping a tree in a conservation area.

These special powers and duties are intended to help protect special features such as buildings and trees that contribute to the special character of the conservation area.

How to apply for conservation area consent

For information about how to apply for conservation area consent please see our page on How to submit a planning application, where you can find an application form and guidance notes on how to apply. 

If you are in any doubt as to whether conservation consent is needed please contact our conservation officer using the contact details on the right.

More information for the owners of properties in conservation areas can be found on this page of the English Heritage website.

Conservation area appraisals

Undertaking conservation area appraisals offers an opportunity to re-assess the designated area and to evaluate and record its special interest. The Vale has already undertaken three conservation area appraisals which are listed below. Please note that the new boundaries defined in the conservation area appraisals supersede those marked on the Local Plan maps.

• Northcourt Conservation Area, Abingdon
• Wytham Conservation Area
• East Hendred Conservation Area.

Consultation drafts of the Cumnor conservation area appraisal and the Bourton conservation area appraisal are now available for comment. All of these documents as well as a comment form can be downloaded from the right of the page.