Permission secured for replacement house in Conservation Area

Pembroke won a recent planning appeal regarding the demolition and replacement of a property within a conservation area.  Whilst the Council maintained the property made a positive contribution to the conservation area relying on the assessment made within the their published Conservation Area Character Appraisal, the Council did not assess the current condition of the property as required by Section 72(1) of the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act.  The Planning Inspector commented that its loss would not cause harm so long as it is replaced by a building of the same or better quality.  The quality of the replacement building was considered by the Inspector to be an improvement over the existing property.