CH18 Wellington Road (New Brighton) Conservation Area Policy
In relation to Wellington Road Conservation Area the principal planning objectives for the area will be to:
(i) preserve the character of a series of Victorian Villas and terraced gardens with an open coastal aspect;
(ii) retain common aspects of villa design such as gabled roofs, barge-boarding, stuccoed elevations, decorated friezes and cast-iron balconies overlooking the coastal promenade; and
(iii) preserve the historic character of Marine Park for formal public recreation.
Only primarily residential uses will be permitted within the existing built-up area and notwithstanding designation under Proposal GR2, priority will be given to retaining the open aspect of land designated as Urban Greenspace to the north and east of the Conservation Area.
Reasoned justification :
11.54 Wellington Road Conservation Area was designated in December 1973. It represents the earliest area developed as part of the "new" resort of New Brighton and was the only part of James Atherton's first design for the original resort to be implemented. It contains a series of villas, overlooking Liverpool Bay, built to take advantage of the change in ground levels along the coastal strip.
11.55 The character of the Area principally derives from the group value of the cliff-top villas, which form a strong visual line when viewed from the promenade. Despite variety in design, they form a cohesive group by virtue of their scale and layout and common features such as gabled roofs, barge-boarding, stuccoed elevations and their long, north-facing, terraced gardens which also form a characteristic part of the historic New Brighton waterfront.
11.56 Policy CH18 provides for these aspects of the historic design and character of the Area to be preserved but also provides for development to be restricted on the areas of flat open land forming the coastal strip along Kings Parade Promenade. These sites, allocated as Urban Greenspace in Section 8 of the UDP, form an essential part of the setting of the Area, enhancing the cliff-top aspect of the villas which overlook them, and include Marine Park, which was formally laid out for public recreation during the latter part of the nineteenth century. Policy CH18 also restricts proposals which would be out of keeping with retaining the domestic character of period buildings.