CONSERVATION ISSUES

A large part of the village of Downton is a designated Conservation area (see map below) and this essentially centres on The Borough, High Street and Lode Hill. As such, additional planning rules are imposed and applications may be need to be passed through the Wiltshire Council Conservation Officer, particularly for listed buildings – of which there are more than 80. The importance of a conservation area is the relationship of individual parts to the whole - buildings, rooflines, materials used, natural landscape, open space, trees, boundaries, and views - all of which form a cohesive part of the setting. Downton’s distinctive lay-out, centred around the river system, its ancient church, thatched cottages and use of flint and brick all contribute to the overall perspective and sense of place.

The Society believes it is important to protect our Conservation area but this does not mean that nothing can change. We have to acknowledge that houses built several hundred years ago may not meet the needs of the twenty first century owners – to say nothing of building, energy and safety requirements. But we do believe that evolution must occur with due thought given to heritage, design, materials, proximity to neighbouring properties and the overall perspective. Awareness about the impact of design and more thought about the use of suitable materials will help to prevent unsympathetic decisions which can effectively destroy the character of an area, and our responses to planning applications in the Conservation area will reflect these considerations.

Conservation Area Map