This section provides advice on the conservation and restoration of historic buildings in the borough. There are currently 17 Conservation Areas and more than 890 listed buildings in the town.
There are basically three levels of control:
These are areas of special architectural and historic interest, where it is desirable to preserve or enhance the character or appearance. In these areas there are special controls over the external appearance of existing properties and new development.
When a building is described as "listed" it means that it is included on the list of buildings that are considered to be of sufficient historic or architectural interest to merit special protection. Controls on listed buildings are stricter than for unlisted buildings in conservation areas and the inside is affected as well as the outside.
Article 3 Directions
An Article 3 Direction removes permitted development rights for most forms of development if an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required. There are currently no Article 3 Directions in Hastings Borough.
Whereas in many cases works can be done to individual properties without the need to make a planning application, in some instances an Article 4 direction has been served which requires owners to submit an application for works that would otherwise fall outside planning control. This enables the Council to exercise more control to protect the historic and architectural character of the town.
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Owners should always seek professional advice before carrying out repairs or alterations to a listed building that might affect its architectural or historic character. A number of visually important non-listed buildings are subject to additional Article IV controls. This brings under planning control quite minor changes to the external appearance of a building which would otherwise be permitted development.
Do I need planning permission?
The Development Control or Conservation sections will advise if a building is listed, lies within a conservation area or is subject to other planning controls. General advice on conservation matters and possible grant assistance is also available from the Conservation Section of Planning Services. You can also download relevant leaflets from this site from our Useful Leaflets area.
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Alterations or building works that are carried out without permission may have to be removed if the Council takes enforcement action. It is important, therefore that advice is always sought prior to undertaking any works to the outside of the property.
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The Hastings Local Plan contains policies and proposals to preserve and enhance the architectural and historic character of Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas.
More detailed advice in respect of architectural features, such as doors windows and roofs is given in Supplemental Planning Guidance Notes which are obtainable from our offices at Century House, or can be downloaded from this site from our Useful Leaflets areas.
The Council promotes conservation through advice and grant assistance and Hastings Trust(telephone 01424 446373) also run a community resource centre within the town that promotes conservation and urban regeneration. Our Planning Links area has links to other useful sites.
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This page last updated: 02/02/2007