Agenda item

Request to Review Article 4 (1) Directions - Four of Harrow’s Conservation Areas

Minutes:

Members received the Report on the Request to Review Representations received and confirm the Article 4 (1) directions for the demolition of front boundary treatments within four of Harrow’s Conservation Areas.

 

An Article 4 Direction was a direction under article 4 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (“GPDO”) which enabled the Council to withdraw specified permitted development rights across a defined area.  The effect of this was to require planning permission for the specified works where normally such works would not require planning permission.

 

On 30 May 2018 the Planning Committee agreed the officer’s recommendation to introduce an Article 4 direction for 14 conservation areas, subject to representations received during the statutory consultation period being reported back to Planning Committee, along with a recommendation as to whether or not to confirm them (as the directions lapse after six months if not confirmed).  An Article 4 direction was made for each conservation area.  The Article 4 directions required planning permission for the demolition of all or any part of any gate, fence, wall or other means of enclosure (by restricting Part 11 Class C of Schedule 2 to the GPDO) where there was already an Article 4 direction in place requiring planning permission for the alteration of a boundary treatment.

 

From December 2020 to May 2021, the Article 4 directions had been introduced as agreed, subject to the required consultation period.  The report covered the Article 4 Directions covering the Harrow on the Hill group of Conservation Areas, where the statutory consultation period had been completed and the directions needed to be confirmed before they lapsed from 1 October 2021.  The remaining conservation area Article 4 directions were confirmed at the May 2021 Planning Committee before these lapsed.

 

No representations were received in relation to these Article 4 directions.  The report, therefore, proposed to confirm the Article 4 Directions that were introduced for 4 conservation areas.  The geographic extent of the directions reflected those of the existing Article 4 directions where rights had been withdrawn for the alteration of a gate, fence, wall or other means of enclosure.

 

RESOLVED: That the following recommendations be accepted:

 

a)              agree to officers’ recommendation to confirm the Article 4(1) directions made under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 as shown in the Appendix to require planning permission for the demolition of all or any part of any gate, fence, wall or other means of enclosure in existing conservation areas (Part 11, Class C of Schedule 2 to the GPDO), where an existing Article 4 direction exists in relation to the construction or alteration of a boundary treatment.  The new additional Article 4 directions apply only where facing a highway, waterway or open space where this is the case

already for the existing Article 4 direction, and otherwise for the entire boundary treatment, in accordance with the existing Article 4 direction; and

 

b)              delegate authority to the Chief Planning Officer to undertake the necessary statutory processes required to confirm the directions.

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