Council moves to protect the history and character of conservation areas

Three Rivers District Council will conduct Conservation Area Appraisals for Rickmansworth and the Church End area of Sarratt. The review will ensure the council is able to best protect areas from future planning developments which could prove harmful to their unique character.

Marko Kalik, the council’s Head of Planning Policy and Conservation, said: “The unique character and history of Rickmansworth town centre and of the more rural Sarratt is essential to what makes these places special.

“It is important that as a council we have all the right information in order to protect these areas from inappropriate development, so they can be enjoyed by future generations. That is the intention of the reviews which will be taking place in the coming months.”

Members of the council’s General Public Services and Economic Development Committee agreed on Tuesday (19 March) to review conservation areas to ensure that the area appraisals are up to date. The council previously agreed in its budget to allocate extra resources to enable the update of the Conservation Areas.

Residents will have a chance to have their say on the updated appraisals during a public consultation later in the year.

For any queries regarding Conservation Area Appraisals, the Planning Policy and Conservation Team can be contacted at TRLDF@threerivers.gov.uk

District council planners are due to bring the findings of the first review back to councillors in October this year.