Conservation and Urban Design

Information on conservation and urban design at Ipswich Borough Council.

Find out what Listed Buildings are, their special status, and how alterations must be managed to preserve their historical and architectural significance.

The procedure for Listed Building Consent is similar to that for planning permission.

There are 15 designated Conservation Areas in Ipswich.

Understand how Article 4 Directions regulate changes and use classes in Ipswich, and view detailed maps of affected areas for small HMOs and conservation areas.

In recent decades Ipswich has been remarkably fortunate in ensuring that very few of its protected historic buildings have been destroyed.

The Ipswich Conservation and Design Panel is a service panel of the Council which meets monthly to consider built design issues within the Borough, and offer comments to Planning Officers regarding development proposals.

The Ipswich Historic Churches Trust's primary objective is the preservation and maintenance of redundant churches of all denominations which are of historical or architectural value, for public benefit.

Ipswich Heritage Forum is a group for discussion and exchange of information on any aspect of heritage within the town. Its aim is to coordinate an approach and encourage partnerships thus promoting Ipswich's Heritage.

The Urban Character SPD provides design guidance to support the implementation of adopted Core Strategy policies CS2 and DM5, which aim to protect and enhance the special character and distinctiveness of Ipswich.

The Local List SPD and revisions identify buildings and structures, which are of local architectural and historic interest or make a significant contribution to the character and appearance of the town, but do not meet the criteria for statutory listing.