With 10 years of study under my belt – including two undergrad certificates and 2 post-grad certificates – architecture is an essential part of my world. I see through the lens of architecture, always looking for historical layers, aesthetics, engineering and materials, texture and meaning.

I have set up as a sole practitioner based in Greenwich – where almost every building is included in a conservation area – though history is everywhere in this city – of course in the listed buildings and conservation areas – but in almost every building in London. I have a keen interest in architectural history and a RIBA qualification in conservation.

A conservation area is decided by the planning authorities in the local area. In London, conservation areas are nominated and designated by the individual boroughs. Their mission is to conserve the areas and buildings that are deemed to be ‘special’ – whether that is due to their architecture, their history, or for another reason.

Certain rules are applied to buildings in a conservation area, which are enforced in order to preserve certain characteristics that are particular to the building and/or area.

Doing work on a building of any type – conservation, listed or not – work should always be in consideration of what is already there, working to keep the original character, features, proportions and materials. However, in a conservation area, planned work and proposals must be harmonious with the existing features.

Some properties/conservation areas require the architect to create a pastiche – an exact replica of the original – whereas, other conservation areas might accept a proposal that in-keeping with the original whilst using updated technologies, materials and design features.

The planning authorities within a conservation area look for additions and changes that empower the original structure, and will not permit changes that they believe will degrade, remove or take away from it. In other words, the work that you do should not constitute an overall ‘loss’ for the building, and so where possible, historic or original features and materials should be kept and restored, rather than removed and replaced. Conservation areas tend to prefer proposals for restoration, as there is no loss of material (i.e. the exact type of wood used in the sash window), though in cases where repair and restoration are not possible, then the planning authority will look for replacements that share the exact characteristics of the original.

The biggest and most costly mistakes are often caused by ignorance; if the home-owner does not know which changes require planning permission, then they are very likely to run into trouble – particularly if they are in a conservation area. The worst case scenario is that the planning authorities deem the work to be bad or not in-keeping with the original, and the home-owner is required to undo the work and return the property to its original state. This is done at the home-owners cost, and it can be an extremely expensive process.

Another unpleasant option is that the planners do not like the changes, and they require you to apply for permission retrospectively.

It is worth noting that it is always more expensive to fix bad work than it is to do things the right way the first time. Often when working with historic buildings, nothing is quite as it seems and there are surprises and unknown factors that present themselves along the way, which is the reason that it is advisable to have an architect on board for all projects in a conservation area.

The architect has many roles, but they take overall responsibility for the project. The architect can advise but they cannot enforce their opinion on the client – the job of the architect is to listen to the client’s brief, and to design a project that is to the client’s best interests, whilst also considering the best interests of the building, the area, the local history and the planning authorities.

In the majority of cases, the architects fees are more than covered by the savings that they create on a project, and there are architects of all types and for all budgets.