City Centre Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Regulation 11 Direction Public Consultation

Overview

The Draft City Centre Conservation Area Character Appraisal was approved for public consultation at the Planning Development Management Committee on 21^st January 2021. The public consultation will run from 19^th February 2021 to 2^nd April 2021. The Draft City Centre Conservation Area Character Appraisal document will be made available through the Aberdeen City Council Consultation Hub and comments on the document are welcome.   

The last Conservation Area Appraisal for Union Street was written in 2007 and, although still a sound document in terms of its general content, requires to be updated to take into account an updated policy and socio-economic context as well as recent developments. 

A comprehensive review of the Conservation Area has taken place as part of this exercise. The Conservation Area has been considered within the context of the City Centre Masterplan, Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP), Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP) and will be a key document for informing decisions made regarding future development within the city centre, from small alterations to historic buildings to larger new developments. 

Five boundary changes are proposed as part of the review of the City Centre Conservation Area. These are:

• Include Marischal Square and the immediate area.
• Include 41-43 Holburn Street (The Foundry), 16-18 Union Grove, and 28-38 Holburn Street and 4-14 Union Grove.
• Include 8-14 Chapel Street
• Include 15-17 Gallowgate
• Include 12-14 Virginia Street 22-24 Virginia Street

As part of the City Centre Conservation Area Appraisal review it is also proposed to make an application for a Regulation 11 Direction representation to the Scottish Government to remove deemed consent for large ‘To Let / For Sale’ signs in the City Centre Conservation Area. The proposed Regulation 11 direction would give the local authority more control over the type of For Sale or To Let signs that would be erected within the City Centre Conservation Area. At times these can be unsightly and detract from the amenity and special character of the Conservation Area. Increased control would mean this impact could be minimised.  Comment on this proposal is also welcome as part of the consultation.

Why your views matter

Conservation Area Character Appraisals provide an opportunity to involve communities in identifying the different characteristics and important elements of their Conservation Area. Section 63 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 requires the appraisal document to be submitted to a public meeting.  As a result of COVID-19 restrictions however, the public consultation will be an online consultation only, with all correspondence, communication and publicity (including public inspection of documents) being by electronic means.  Any questions on the consultation should be directed to pi@aberdeencity.gov.uk. 

What happens next

At the end of the consultation all representations will be summarised and reported back to a future meeting of Planning Development Management Committee.