Have your say on the district’s important heritage assets

Harborough District Council is asking residents to review the Conservation Area Appraisal for Great Easton and the addition of nine new entries to the Local List of Non-Designated Heritage Assets.

The two consultations launched on 16 January and run until 27 February 2024.

The Conservation Area Appraisal for Great Easton defines and records the facts that give Great Easton conservation area its special interest and justify its designation. This will help improve understanding of the historic importance of the area, how this has shaped its unique character and how it can guide its future development. The appraisal will help inform the consideration of relevant planning applications, conservation area and listed building consents as appropriate.

The consultation on the Local List of Non-Designated Heritage Assets outlines nine new nominations to add to the Local List. Local heritage lists play an essential role in building and reinforcing a sense of local character and distinctiveness in the historic environment, as part of the wider range of designation. They enable the significance of any building or site on the list to be better taken into account in planning applications affecting the building or site or its setting. A local heritage list can therefore support the Local Plan and inform a proactive strategy for the historic environment.

The nine proposed additions to add to the Local List of Non-Designated Heritage Assets are as follows:

• Auburn Place, Bitteswell Road, Lutterworth
• Engineering Factory, Fairfield Road, Market Harborough
• Former Barclays Bank, High Street, Market Harborough
• Former HSBC, High Street, Market Harborough
• Former NatWest, St Mary’s Road, Market Harborough
• Former Station, Kibworth Beauchamp
• Husbands Bosworth Airfield, Sibbertoft Road, Husbands Bosworth
• Tollgate Cottage, Lutterworth Road, Bitteswell
• Village Shop, Springbank, Medbourne

Cllr Darren Woodiwiss, Harborough District Council’s Heritage Champion, said: “Heritage assets such as these are an irreplaceable resource and should be conserved in a manner that is appropriate to their significance so that they can be enjoyed for future generations. We must carefully consider where development is located in order to ensure that important heritage assets are not adversely affected.”

As part of the consultation on the Conservation Area Appraisal for Great Easton a drop-in event will take place in Great Easton Village Hall on Tuesday 23 January from 5pm to 7pm.

For more information and to take part in the consultations visit https://harborough.oc2.uk/