Agenda item

To consider the adoption of Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans for Gosport High Street and Stoke Road, respectively.

Consideration was given to a report of the Principal Conservation and Design Officer requesting consideration be given to the adoption of the Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans for the Gosport High Street and Stoke Road Conservation Areas.

The Board was advised that there was no updates to the report and that these was the last of the appraisals that have been undertaken. The boundaries had been considered as part of the appraisal but there was not proposed to be any changes.

There was a duty to review Conservation Areas to ensure that they were preserved and enhances and the funding from the High Street Heritage Action Zone had helped to do this, as well as Historic England. There had been public consultations on the work undertaken.

Members welcomed the work that had been undertaken and recognised that it was an important history book through which people could learn and requested that thanks be recorded for the work of the Principal Conservation and Design Officer.

Members reiterated their gratitude for the document and the work, and were interested to understand if there was a reason that Gosport had not introduced Conservation Areas immediately when provision was made for them in 1967.

There was no definitive answer, it was felt that there was perhaps some apprehension at the time, but also that a large amount of rebuilding took place post war following bomb damage. Eventually it was felt it was realised that there needed to be protection of heritage assets, and that this had perhaps not been considered in the post modernism of the 60s.

Members felt that what was old in 2024 was not necessarily old in 1967 and that there was a different attitude to heritage now.

RESOLVED: That the Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans for Gosport High Street and Stoke Road be approved and adopted.