No room for complacency (From The Oxford Times)

No room for complacency

6:50am Thursday 9th July 2009 in

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Sir – Last week, English Heritage issued a statement about conservation areas, drawing attention to the fact that many are seriously at risk, because of neglect by the local authorities who have the duty of declaring and maintaining them.

North Oxford, a suburb of the highest historical and aesthetic importance, was declared a conservation area in stages between 1968 and 1976.

A fine academic study of it was published in 1992, and it was recently the object of a special resurvey for listing.

English Heritage draws attention to the importance of Article 4 Directions, which enable local authorities to control alterations such as UPVC windows. They were made all the more crucial by the disastrous ‘Shimizu Judgement’, which ruled that partial demolition of buildings in Conservation Areas did not require permission.

This group has constantly pressed Oxford City Council to introduce them here. Eventually the council agreed to try them out in the Osney Island Conservation Area. We have been pointing out for years now that, since they seem to have worked well there, they should introduce them in North Oxford, but to no effect.

Each conservation area should have its own advisory committee. The council was most unwilling to introduce them, but finally agreed to set up one committee covering all the city’s conservation areas.

That was pretty useless, though better than nothing, but it was got rid of some time ago. All local authorities have been instructed by the Government to produce conservation area ‘appraisals’ but, although the North Oxford one went through two drafts in 2006, it has now been shelved indefinitely.

The drafts were, in any case, far too willing to accept what have proved to be the most serious threats to North Oxford, that is, infill and extensions.

If it does so little to protect North Oxford, our own council has no reason to be complacent.

Peter Howell, Secretary, Victorian Group of the Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society