Identify Conservation Areas with Ease with Nimbus

Conservation areas vary greatly in their nature and character - ranging from the centres of historic towns and cities, through mining villages and model housing estates, to historic transport links and their environs, such as stretches of canal.

Today there are over 10,000 conservation areas in the UK - each subject to additional planning restrictions principally impacting the external appearance of an existing or new property - with a view to protecting its special character. 

Accessing conservation area data has traditionally been difficult for developers as records are maintained on a local authority level - meaning there is no centralised database and there is no standardised approach to presenting the data. 

How the Conservation Area Layer will help you 🫵

Confirming conservation area data can be a labour-intensive task which is why our new layer gives you instant access to the data in a centralised way. If your development site is in a conservation area, you will generally need planning permission for relevant demolition work (also commonly known as 'conservation area consent') to do the following:

• Demolish a building with a volume of 115 cubic metres or more.
• To demolish any gate, fence, wall or other means of the enclosure with: a height of one metre or more if next to a highway (including a public footpath or bridleway), waterway or open space; or a height of two metres or more elsewhere

⚡Pro tip: There are some exemptions to these general requirements based on which local authority you’re developing in, but even if your proposals do not include the work mentioned above you should still check if an application is required as a part of your due diligence on a site.

How to use it 

Simply select the Location Analysis tool in the top right of the Nimbus Maps app, then select the Conservation Areas from the Planning Policy dropdown menu.

The yellow shading indicates the location of the conservation area.   

Want to learn more about how Nimbus Maps will help you assess potential land and property opportunities? Request a free trial today ⚡

Note - Did you know you can now also request a full Local Search through our Client Solutions service, which covers a number of hazards such as radon, contaminated land, ground stability, air quality, etc? Find out more here.