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Appraisals

Appraisals for York Hill, Baldwins Hill and Staples Road now approved


ALL THREE CHARACTER APPRAISALS prepared and developed in draft by the Hills Amenity Society have now been adapted for adoption by Epping Forest District Council, the first two in April and the third, Baldwins Hill, in June.

The appraisals, which can be found on the Council’s website or are available in hard copy form from the Council offices, define the character of the three areas and outline management plans for the area.

The Hills Amenity Society set up its own working group in 2007 to work with Epping Forest District Council to produce draft Conservation Area Character Appraisals for the three Loughton conservation areas of York Hill, Staples Road and Baldwins Hill.

After some delay the District Council produced its own versions for the consultation process, which took place in the autumn and winter of 2009. In 2011, the District Council continued to assure us that the completed appraisals would be published “hopefully later this year”.  They were eventually published in the late summer of 2014. Action on the management plans is now awaited:

CONSERVATION AREA MANAGEMENT PLANs

General management objectives to preserve and enhance the conservation area

1. Ensure that any new development is to a high standard and is sympathetic to the character and appearance of the conservation area in terms of scale, massing, style and materials.

2. Discourage the use of unsympathetic modern materials such as uPVC, untreated aluminium and concrete roof tiles.

3. Ensure that the clean and tidy environment expected in a conservation area is maintained.

Short term objectives for enhancement

4. Discuss with local community groups how we can inform new residents and businesses that their properties are in a conservation area and the responsibility that this entails.

5. Carry out an audit of street furniture with particular reference to repair or replacing where necessary.

Medium term objectives for enhancement

6. Evaluate the visual impact and necessity of signage in the conservation area with a view to removing any unnecessary signs and replacing those necessary ones with more sympathetic alternatives.

And for Baldwins Hill only:

– Assess the current conservation area boundary and see if alterations need to be made

To view the plans adopted and published by Epping Forest District Council follow the links below:

To view Hills Amenity Society’s Appraisals, click on the following links: