Conservation areas

Areas of special architectural or historic interest, which are designated locally by the council, but form part of our national heritage.

Conservation areas typically cover the older parts of towns and villages, which have historic characters that are important to conserve for present and future generations. There are currently  29 conservation areas (pdf / 19 KB) in Craven (outside the Yorkshire Dales National Park). Their boundaries are shown on the policies map of the Craven Local Plan and on our online mapping page.

Information about conservation areas within the Yorkshire Dales National Park can be obtained from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

Planning requirements are different in conservation areas, in recognition of their special historic or architectural interest, and permission is required for demolition, carrying out work on trees and for some small-scale proposals that would normally be permitted development. Further information is available on the conservation advice page.

Conservation area appraisals

Conservation area appraisals are studies used in the designation, monitoring and management of conservation areas. They provide details of an area's special interest, identify potential threats and opportunities for enhancement, and help to guide future actions and decisions. Appraisals are carried out according to advice from Historic England. Find out more on the Historic England website.

Conservation area appraisals 2008

Download appraisals prepared in 2008: 

Conservation area boundaries have changed since 2008. Updated boundaries are shown on the policies map of the Craven Local Plan and on our online mapping page.

Initial draft conservation area appraisals 2016

The Craven conservation areas assessment project 2016 was undertaken by the council, Historic England and Alan Baxter Limited. It adopted an innovative approach to the appraisal of conservation areas and had a particular focus on the role of appraisals in the statutory plan-making process. Appraisals produced by the project are included in the evidence base for the Craven Local Plan.

Finalisation of draft conservation area appraisals 2023

We carried out a public consultation on the initial draft conservation area appraisals 2016 from 19 October 2020 to 14 December 2020 and received over 100 responses, including several detailed submissions. The overall response was very positive with many statements of support, constructive suggestions and only a few objections. A summary of the issues and outcomes from the public consultation is provided in a  statement of community engagement (pdf / 2 MB).

The appraisal authors, Alan Baxter Limited, prepared final draft conservation area appraisals for consideration and adoption by our policy committee on 28 February 2023. These amended, updated and enhanced versions of the initial drafts take public comments on board and were prepared in consultation with the council who kept Historic England updated on the progress.

The final adopted appraisals are available to download. As they contain maps with interactive layers, they must be downloaded and opened in a suitable PDF reader. The maps are unlikely to function properly if the appraisals are viewed in a web browser.