This is an ongoing project to inform residents about the conservation area:
- Our management plan
- The implications of conservation
- How we can help you with planning.
Conservation contacts
Conservation questions (heritage materials etc)
- General planning (extensions etc. pre-planning advice)
- OTRA advice Contact Form 02380554406
About The Conservation Subcommittee
The Conservation Subcommittee evolved from an informal group, which had come together in 2003 to investigate the possibility of getting Conservation Area status for the Oakmount Triangle. At a meeting of Southampton City Council’s Planning and Rights of Way Panel, at which an application for a development of town houses in Leigh Road was rejected, Cllr Alec Samuels had suggested that the Triangle could best protect its character by becoming a conservation area.
The working group approached the Council’s Conservation Officer, and began to collect the facts and figures about the Triangle which were needed for an application. In July 2004 an open meeting was held for all the Triangle’s residents, and there was overwhelming support for pursuing conservation status. A dossier containing a large body of historical and architectural information about the Triangle was presented to the Council in December 2004, and Conservation Area status was obtained in August 2005. Also in 2005, the informal working group became a Subcommittee of OTRA, to advise the Chair and Committee about conservation issues.
The Conservation Subcommittee meets approximately monthly to discuss recent planning applications and other conservation issues. Much of its effort in 2007 and 2008 was to collaborate with SCC in producing a Character Appraisal and Design Statement, a detailed guide for both residents and developers as to the character of the Oakmount Triangle and how it may best be protected.
When it looks at planning applications, the Subcommittee considers these in the light of the Character Appraisal and Design Statement, and then sends its suggestions to the OTRA Committee, which then decides how it should respond to Southampton City Council. If an application appears to have a major impact on the Triangle, OTRA may email or leaflet all residents. The Subcommittee is always happy to talk to residents or developers about planning applications, either before or after the actual application is made.
OTRA can neither approve nor reject any applications. All actual decisions on planning are made by the City Council. However speaking to us first can help a lot both in regard to the actual application and also whether we can help by adding a comment in support.