Public consultations are to be held on plans to appraise the conservation area status of eight Ceredigion towns.
Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet, at a meeting on 7 January, received a report recommending that Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans be released for public consultation, covering Aberystwyth, Cardigan, Aberaeron, Lampeter, Llanbadarn Fawr, Llandysul, New Quay, and Tregaron.
Local authorities are required to formulate and publish proposals for the preservation and enhancement of area designated as a conservation area and produce detailed management plans which address the issues raised.
Such detailed appraisals and management plans have not been undertaken for most of Ceredigion’s conservation areas.
A report for members said: “By not having conservation area appraisals and management plans in place, the council is not meeting its statutory duty in full.
“Their absence means there is a lack of information available to Development Management Officers to justify the refusal of proposals which may harm Ceredigion’s conservation areas.
“Moreover, Inspectors may overturn officers’ decisions to refuse planning permission in conservation areas due to the absence of such appraisals.
“Collectively, this contributes to the erosion of the county’s conservation areas.”
The report said that officers were successful in securing funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to begin preparing appraisals and management plans for the eight areas.
“The Conservation Area Appraisals provide a detailed picture of what makes the areas special and provide a shared understanding of their character and importance,” the report said.
“Once the current Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans have been adopted, the intention is to then prepare appraisals and management plans for the remaining conservation areas.”
Members backed the recommendation to start consultations, expected to run from 27 January up to 7 March, with the findings coming before Cabinet in April before a final report to full council in May.