The Plough & Conservation Status

The Residents’ Association has been exploring ways to protect The Plough in light of the change of use application that has been submitted. The central position of the pub and its location at the top of the Common makes it the standout view of Winchmore Hill and gives the village much of its character. Despite what many people think, The Plough is not a listed building. It has a degree of protection under our Neighbourhood Plan but otherwise a developer could be permitted to demolish the building and develop the site in ways which would not consider its heritage value.

Separately, Penn Parish Council has pointed out the Winchmore Hill is an outlier in not have Conservation Status. Other villages in the Parish including Penn St and Penn and Tylers have conservation status covering the historic centres of the settlements which gives them much more protection than we enjoy when it comes to planning decisions.

Conservation Status is valued by estate agents and has to be considered by planning officers when reviewing applications. It does not prevent residents or developers from making changes to properties but it does provide advisory guidance on changes likely to be sympathetic to existing village properties. By far the majority of residents in Penn St and Penn & Tylers are in favour of Conservation Status and see it as a good thing for their villages.

There is a two-part process to gaining Conservation Status: an initial review of village buildings and heritage assets to see if we are likely to qualify, then a more extensive piece of work to set out the area covered and the kinds of design and other considerations. Part of this piece of work generates a design guide which identifies desirable features in existing village buildings and sets out how new or remodelled buildings can incorporate these.

There is a cost to achieving Conservation Status with the initial review costing in the region of £4000 (plus VAT) of which the Residents’ Association has been asked to contribute half.

The Residents’ Association is in favour of taking this first step as, in itself it is a way of saying what we value in the village (including The Plough). Once we know whether we are likely to qualify for Conservation Status we will bring the part 2 decision to villagers for feedback. The process is itself a consultative one and residents will have multiple chances to share comments and concerns before it is completed.

If you have comments on Conservation Status for Winchmore Hill please email committee@winchmorehillra.com