Conservation areas and Listed Buildings 

Protecting our heritage with LA Hally Architect

Being Architects in Winchester, we are extremely honoured to live and work in a city so rich in history and culture. We have had the opportunity to work on Listed buildings in Winchester and the surrounding areas and within many conservation areas in Hampshire, the New Forrest and surrounding areas.

When we are invited to work on listed buildings in Hampshire, the approach is often slightly different to that of an unlisted dwelling, as additional time needs to be put into investigation of the history of the property and the surrounding area prior to proposing any changes.

We usually suggest pre-planning advice from the local planning department with any listed building prior to the submission of any application, this can be useful in deciding which direction to take with any design and also assessing whether a Heritage consultant would be advisable, depending on the advice received. We have had the opportunity to work with some great consultants in Hampshire and the New Forrest, who all have a great expanse of knowledge with regards to listed buildings and can help to establish which elements of a design are worth proceeding with, and fighting for, and which will be easier to get approval for, ensuring that each requested alteration has a firm reason for requirement.

Some of the projects we have worked on include:

• Renovating and extending 15^th Century barns with modern extensions and internal alterations
• Converting a block of flats back into a beautiful Georgian family home, with external elevated terracing in the heart of Winchester and large feature glazing infilling an arched access
• Adding a completely glazed extension to a grade II listed terrace
• Altering internals and fenestration to a Jacobean property.
• Designing a new build property in the grounds of a Grade II listed dwelling, as a modern interpretation of the existing dwelling to complement the original.

We are often asked to work in Conservation areas where different rules apply when compared to listed buildings, and the rules are often less rigid. Care and attention still need to be taken when working in these areas to ensure permission can be gained for alterations, and also that the overall feel of the area is not adversely affected.

As for listed buildings, we recommend pre-planning advice from the local planning department. We have worked on a number of new build and modern and traditional extensions in conservation areas, and in our experience, it is important to try to work with the planning department, making clear what we are trying to achieve and why, and how it will complement the existing buildings and surrounding area.

In some cases, when working in a conservation area, a modern interpretation works best, in other cases a more traditional scheme is required to match the existing structures. Pre-planning advice can be vital in assessing the ease of each option and deciding which will be the route the client wants to take.

We have worked in on projects in many of the conservation areas around Winchester, across Hampshire and in the New Forrest. For new build, renovation and extension, we have had excellent success creating, and gaining approval for, captivating designs, tailored to the lifestyle of our clients.

If you would like to discuss your potential conservation or listed building project, please call LA Hally Architect where we will be happy to help and offer advice on how to get started.