Context 167 - March 2021

C O N T E X T 1 6 7 : M A R C H 2 0 2 1 45 and the growing importance of transparency in decision-making have led to the production of more thorough guidance concerning conservation areas. This fulfils the statutory duty under the act for councils to ‘publish proposals for the preservation and enhancement’ of conservation areas and demystifies conservation area designation for the local communities. CAAMPs set out clearly what is special about an area, define its characteristics and explain, in simple language, what designation means for those living within it. The best CAAMPs also take stock of the condition of a conservation area, identifying current issues, threats to its special interest and opportunities for enhancement. A tailored management plan or set of recommendations responds to these specific issues and opportunities, providing a basis against which to judge future proposals for change. For example, at Swindon, recommendations included securing new uses for vacant buildings, establishing a strategy for interpretation and looking for opportunities to improve the public realm. Successful CAAMPs allow councils to build capacity within their local communities to assist in the preservation and enhancement of their local area. For this to happen, it is vital that the community is involved with the review and preparation of the guidance. This goes beyond the mandatory statutory consultation required for supplementary planning documents and requires meaningful engagement from the beginning of a conservation area review. It is important that engagement is inclusive, even more challenging in a Covid-19 world of mostly virtual interactions. In normal times, it is best practice to organise an inception meeting, which interested groups and individuals can attend for information on the review and preparation of the CAAMP.While it is useful for practitioners to have some understanding of the area before this meeting, it is important that it takes place early in the process for real transparency and to allow meaningful public contribution to the process. Setting out clearly what the review can achieve and what factors the public can influence is helpful to ensure that expectations are realistic and ensure that feedback given is relevant. Once a greater understanding of the area has been established through site surveys and historic research, there are opportunities for further engagement through workshops. These should aim, first, to unpick what the community values about its local heritage, to ensure that this, among other factors, can be drawn out in the assessment of its special interest. Second, once the bedrock of what is valued has been laid out, there is a chance to dig deeper into the perceived issues, threats, opportunities and aspirations the community has for the conservation area.What would they like to see changed or improved, and how it might be achieved? Including these in the CAAMP will allow the community to endorse, and share in the responsibility for enacting, the recommendations and actions it contains. Finally, if any potential changes to the conservation area boundary have been identified through site surveys, this is an opportunity to share these and gather initial feedback. Depending on budget and time constraints, workshops could be targeted to different groups, including councillors, local interest or amenity groups, businesses, or the general public. During public workshops in Swindon, the continued strong sense of identity that the community draws from the now closed railway works was captured in the CAAMP. As the main employer in the town for more than a century and the reason the town prospered, the railway remains deeply embedded in both A conservation area public engagement workshop in Swindon, discussing the railway heritage (Photo: David Stuart)