48 C O N T E X T 1 1 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 0 JENNY WETTON Public perceptions of conservation areas Local authorities need to recognise that although there is a great deal of support for conservation, many people feel excluded from it and fail to understand official decisions. In ‘Heritage values in a conservation area’ (Context 109, May 2009), Crispin Edwards reported his use of the values expressed in English Heritage’s Conservation Principles. He took them as a model to look at the values of stake holders in the planning process, based on a case study of a conservation area in Manchester. My own research has explored the knowledge and planning experiences of people living and working in two conservation areas in Stockport. The Houldsworth Conservation Area1, a planned industrial community in the Reddish area, consists of industrial, ecclesiastical, educational and community buildings and terraced houses. Issues in the area included the diminishing of the area’s significance due to replacement doors and windows. An Article 4 direction was proposed. Stockport’s cotton industry went into decline in the 1920s and production in Houldsworth ceased in the late 1950s. The area suffered from unemployment and became a dismal environment with a number of huge, vacant buildings. In 1991 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) declared the area a neighbourhood renewal area and the ward became eligible for European funding under Objective Two2. Although Stockport is traditionally seen as an affluent borough, there are significant pockets of deprivation3. The Station Road/Winnington Road Conservation Area4 developed as a late 19th century railway commuter suburb in the wealthier township of Marple. All the properties are set back at a regular distance from the road and have well-proportioned gardens to the front, side and rear. Issues in the area included pressure for the development of sites at higher density and sub-division of larger properties for multiple occupancy. An Article 4 direction was proposed for those properties currently in single family use. Marple has low levels of deprivation, low crime rates, relatively good levels of health and above-average levels of educational achievement5. As part of the character appraisal process, SMBC carried out public consultation by sending a questionnaire to all affected addresses and holding public meetings with an exhibition. The response rate for Station Road/Winnington Road was reasonable for a postal questionnaire. That for Houldsworth was the worst the council had ever had for a conservation area consultation.The drop-in meetings reflected the response rates. The Marple meeting was extremely busy, while very few people came to the meeting in Houldsworth. People in both areas were primarily concerned with buildings and trees. Potential council improvements to the streets were popular. There was more concern with the effectiveness of the conservation area and with enforcement in Station Road/Winnington Road. I carried out structured interviews with five residents from each conservation area who responded to the consultation questionnaire and agreed to help with the research. One of the main issues was a sense of exclusion. People were more likely to feel disaffected in Station Road/Winnington Road, where some people had poor experiences trying to improve the conservation area. Feelings of alienation from official culture need to be overcome if conservation is to succeed. People living in rented property were more likely to want no change within the conservation areas. Although there was more support for the conservation area in Houldsworth, the low response rate is likely to mean that only those who felt strongly responded. There was a considerable lack of knowledge of the planning controls in force in both conservation areas and of when planning permission is required. People were particularly ignorant of the implications of Article 4 directions. The imposition of Article 4 directions could prove very unpopular. Although these were supported, many people will not have understood the associated costs. There is no conservation fund in place to assist with this. Left:The Grade II* listed Houldsworth Mill, designed by AH Stott Right: Houses in Houldsworth designed by AH Stott for mill workers References 1 Stockport MBC, Houldsworth Conservation Area Character Appraisal, SMBC, 2007 2 Stockport MBC, Houldsworth Mill (brochure, undated) 3 Stockport Partnership, Working Together for a Better Stockport: local area agreement, Stockport Council, June 2006 4 Stockport MBC, Station Road/Winnington Road Conservation Area Character Appraisal, SMBC, 2007 5 Stockport Partnership, The Stockport Community Strategy, 2003 [online]
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