Conservation Area Audits

The city council has a statutory duty to review the character and boundaries of its 56 conservation areas. As part of this process a draft study or 'conservation area audit' is being prepared for each area.

Audits provide a description of the special qualities of each of the conservation areas in order to assist the council in their protection. Each study will look at the history, character and architecture of the area as well as identifying negative features: buildings, clutter or poor landscaping, which detract from the area and could be improved and proposals for the future management of the area.

Each audit goes through a process of public consultation before and during drafting. Details of the programme of audit production and consultation drafts are available to view online.

47 Conservation Areas have adopted Audits, 28 of these have now been adopted as Supplementary Planning Guidance. All new audits are being adopted as Supplementary Planning Documents and 19 have so far been adopted.

The following audits have been formally adopted and can be accessed below.

• Adelphi (March 2003)
• Albert Gate (April 2008)
• Aldridge Road and Leamington Road Villas (April 2004)
• Bayswater (July 2000 )
• Birdcage Walk (16 June 2008)
• Broadway and Christchurch Gardens (7 July 2008)
• Charlotte Street West (July 2002)
• Chinatown (December 2005)
• Churchill Gardens (April 2005)
• Cleveland Street (April 2006)
• Dolphin Square (October 2008)
• Dorset Square (March 2008)
• East Marylebone (March 2006)
• Fisherton Street Estate (September 2004)
• Grosvenor Gardens (April 2006)
• Hallfield Estate (15 October 2008)
• Hanway Street ( March 2006)
• Harley Street (16 June 2008)
• Knightsbridge (2008) 
• Knightsbridge Green (April 2008)
• Lillington and Longmoore Gardens (February 2012)
• Lisson Grove (January 2003)
• Medway Street (April 2006)
• Millbank (January 2005)
• Molyneux Street (August 2002)
• Paddington Green (April 2003)
• Page Street (12 October 2010)
• Peabody Estates: South Westminster and Peabody Avenue (11 July 2009)
• Pimlico (April 2006)
• Portman Estate (November 2003)
• Queens Park Estate (15 April 2005)
• Queensway (16 June 2008)
• Regency Street (April 2006)
• Savoy (March 2003)
• Smith Square (January 2005 )
• Soho (December 2005)
• St James (November 2002)
• St Johns Wood (16 June 2008)
• Strand (January 2003)
• Stratford Place (16 June 2008)
• Trafalgar Square (February 2003)
• Vincent Square (23 February 2010) 
• Westbourne (February 2002)
• Westminster Abbey and Parliament Square (26 September 2008)
• Westminster Cathedral (4 September 2008)
• Whitehall (December 2003)

Accompanying SPD documents including statements of consultation, represtentations and adoption required by the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2008 can be downloaded where applicable (for audits adopted as SPD only) on the relevant conservation area profile page.

Please see the Planning Publications page for a comprehensive list of reference documents.

Contact us for more information or to obtain a hard copy of any of the guidance.