Conservation Areas

The Council has a duty to periodically review its Conservation Areas and if necessary amend them due to changing circumstances. With this in mind Babergh has now an active programme of Conservation Area Appraisals underway. These are done to assess what is important about the character of our Conservation Areas and to assist in considering applications for developments and changes that could affect them.   
A five year review programme has been started for the District's 28 Conservation Areas. Community involvement is essential in understanding the special nature and different issues for each conservation area and new appraisals are given a period of public consultation.

Draft appraisal documents are available to view in two ways. You can view or download the documents on this website and email us your comments via the comments form. Alternatively copies of these documents are available to view, with a comments form, at the Planning reception within the Council offices in Corks Lane.

The draft documents will be available in phases.

The following 13 Conservation Areas have already been consulted on and are adopted as Non Statutory Supplementary Planning Guidance:
(All files are in PDF format with their sizes shown in brackets)

• Little Waldingfield Conservation Area Appraisal (1.46Mb).
• Bures St Mary Conservation Area Appraisal (1.85Mb).
• Pin Mill Conservation Area Appraisal (2.16Mb).
• Nayland Conservation Area Appraisal (84.1Kb).
• Stratford St Mary Conservation Area Appraisal (1.47Mb).
• Glemsford Conservation Area Appraisal (1.14Mb).
• Hadleigh Conservation Area Appraisal (900Kb).
• Woolverstone Conservation Area Appraisal (739Mb).
• Sudbury Conservation Area Appraisal (0.93Mb).
• Lavenham Conservation Area Appraisal (2.40Mb)
• Higham Conservation Area Appraisal (1.90Mb)
• Kersey Conservation Area Appraisal (1.27Mb)
• Chelsworth Conservation Area Appraisal (1.99Mb)

Conservation area maps can also be found within the Babergh Local Plan Alteration No. 2 (2006) - Document.


There remain 15 Conservation Areas due to be re-appraised in the coming years:

Long Melford
East Bergholt
Boxford
Bildeston
Stoke-by-Nayland
Thorington Street
Polstead
Great Waldingfield
Brent Eleigh
Brettenham
Cockfield
Hartest
Monks Eleigh
Naughton
Kettlebaston

Information Leaflets

(Both leaflets are in PDF format with their sizes shown in brackets)

• Living In A Conservation Area (133Kb).
• Article 4(2) Directions (117Kb).