Living in London’s conservation areas: new homes with protected status.

New and more relaxed planning rules will make it easier for developers to build on smaller sites.  One way to avoid a development free-for-all in popular districts is for the local council’s to give them conservation status.  About 1,000 of the UK’s 9,800 conservation areas are in London and more likely to be designated in the capital as boroughs try to avoid a development free-for-all following changes to relax the planning system.  Under new rules, developers will get automatic rights to build on smaller sites and homeowners will find it easier to add extensions of up to two storeys.

One way to avoid a building stampede n popular districts is to give them conservation area status, if the area can be shown to be worthy of “preservation or enhancement”.  New homes are not outlawed in conservation areas, but builders are subject to additional scrutiny and any new scheme has to score highly for its quality.  This means that any new conservation area address will come at a price.  You are likely to pay double the premium – first, for the privilege of enjoying special architectural character or historic interest, and second for all the benefits that the news homes offer compared with buying a period property, including flexible room layouts, energy efficiency and lower running costs.

Mill Hill Conservation Area NW7 has – 38 new apartments at Mill Hill Place are set in gated gorunds with landscaped gardens.

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