Historic conservation area to be preserved for future

Ashton Conservation Area was up for review, and Preston Council’s cabinet has voted to preserve the special interest zone.

The area, partly made up of rectangular blocks of terraced houses, includes the Grade II listed St Andrew’s Church, and the Grade II listed St Michael and All Angel’s Church.

A consultation was launched around the review of the zone, but Thursday’s cabinet meeting heard only one response had been received.

Coun John Swindells, cabinet member for planning, health and regulation, said Ashton was one of the least changed of all Preston’s conservation areas.

He said: “The consultation has not had that many replies, because people seem to be happy with the way this one is working.

“It is just a review we have to do from time to time with all the conservation areas.

“It is an area we would like to keep.

“It’s important that Preston keeps its special areas which the conservation areas are, and we preserve our past.”

Coun Swindells said the council needed to look again at how it consults, and said: “To only have one real reply back is something that may be of concern.”
He said in other conservation areas, the council received criticism for removing things or making it difficult for people to do work on their homes, and said: “We need to get people to consult on these and make their comments on it.”

Council leader Peter Rankin, who lives within the conservation area, said: “I wouldn’t have known we were consulting on this if I hadn’t been involved with it, so I agree we should perhaps look at how we consult.”