Consultation on the proposed Poets Road Conservation Area

What is it?

We are proposing a new conservation area in Mildmay Ward. We would like to hear your views on the proposals.

Conservation areas are areas of special architectural or historic interest whose character and appearance is protected. The Council is responsible for designating these areas and managing them in order to preserve and enhance their character. As part of this project:

• We are proposing to designate a new conservation area called Poets Road Conservation Area. The proposed boundary is shown on the map below. The area is a group of residential streets built in the 19^th century. It is considered to have a special character that should be protected through designation. This will allow the Council to better manage the area in the future.
• We have produced two draft guidance documents for the new conservation area. The Poets Road Conservation Area Appraisal describes the character of the area and identifies important characteristics. The Poets Road Conservation Area Management Plan explains how the area will be managed in the future and includes detailed guidelines for development.
• The climate emergency creates an urgent need for adaptations to homes across the borough to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and make neighbourhoods more sustainable and resilient. It is important that conservation areas are included in this process, so detailed guidance on retrofitting and other sustainability measures has been included in the draft Poets Road Conservation Area Management Plan to encourage appropriate adaptations to homes in the conservation area. We are currently consulting on two other documents supporting climate action across the borough. Visit the draft Retrofit Handbook Let’s Talk page and the draft Climate Action SPD Let’s Talk page to find out more.

How will I be affected?

Once designated, the Council will have an overarching duty to preserve and enhance the character of the conservation area. Conservation areas are designated heritage assets, so national and local heritage planning policies will apply to future planning applications in the area. Guidance contained in the draft Poets Road Conservation Area Appraisal and Poets Road Conservation Area Management Plan will also be a material consideration when assessing planning applications.

Conservation area designation should not prevent all change. It is a tool to manage change in a positive way. Our draft guidance provides clarity about what changes are appropriate for the area and encourages positive change such as appropriate climate adaptations.

There are additional controls that apply in conservation areas:

• Trees: There are additional protections for trees in conservation areas. Residents would need to notify the Council prior to carrying out works to trees.
• Changes to ‘permitted development’: Various types of development can be carried out without applying for permission. These are set out in the General Permitted Development Order (2015). Some of these do not apply in conservation areas. This means residents would need to apply for planning permission before carrying out certain types of development that were previously classed as ‘permitted development’ including:

1. Roof extensions, side extensions, and rear extensions over a certain size
2. Demolition of buildings and demolition of boundary walls or fences over a certain height
3. Erection of a building or structure in the front garden

Once the designation has been confirmed, the council could consider further restrictions on permitted development within the conservation area (called an ‘Article 4 Direction’). The draft Poets Road Conservation Area Management Plan recommends some additional restrictions to give more control over common changes that detract from the character of the area such as alterations to windows and boundary walls.

What have we done so far?

In summer 2024, officers carried out an assessment of the area including site visits and archive research. We held a drop-in event in the area and invited residents to come along. The proposals for the new conservation area and ideas for the guidance documents were presented at the meeting, and residents were invited to comment and share ideas.

We used the feedback from the drop-in meeting to help us develop our detailed proposals and draft guidance documents.

Get involved

The consultation will run from 13 January 2025 to 24 February 2025 (closing at 11:59 PM). To comment on the proposals, you can:

• Complete the survey below
• Email your comments to designconservation@islington.gov.uk. The subject of your email should be “Poets Road Conservation Area”
• Respond by post by writing to: Design and Conservation, Islington Council Planning Department, 2nd Floor, Town Hall, Upper Street, London, N1 2UD
• Attend the drop-in meeting on 22^nd January 2025.

Public Events

We are holding a drop-in meeting on Wednesday 22 January from 5:30pm to 8:30pm at St Augustine’s Church Hall (108 Highbury New Park, London, N5 2DR).