Isles of Scilly Conservation Area
Public Consultation on Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan:
Under Section 69(2) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, local planning authorities have a statutory duty to review conservation area boundaries “from time to time”. This includes considering whether new areas should be designated or whether existing boundaries should be amended or cancelled.
This requirement came into force with the original enactment of the Act in 1990, and remains in effect today. While the legislation does not prescribe a fixed review interval, best practice guidance from Historic England recommends that reviews be carried out regularly, ideally every 5 to 10 years, and supported by up-to-date Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans. The Council of the Isles of Scilly designated a Conservation Area, covering all of the islands, in June 1975. In 2025 the Conservation Area turned 50 years Old. To consider the current state of the Conservation Area, we have undertaken a Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan (CAAMP) and we are seeking your views on this work.
To provide a little bit of a potted history here is quick and brief timeline:
June 1975: the Council adopted the Isles of Scilly Conservation Area.
January 1976: the Council adopted its First Article 4 Direction: this removed the right to enlarge, improve or carry out other alterations to any house on any of the islands including the construction of curtilage buildings. It also removed the right to change the use of land for any purpose as well as all agricultural permitted development rights for agricultural land of more than 1 acre.
February 1976: the Islands were designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
May 1989: the Council adopted its Second Article 4 Direction: this removed the right to construct swimming pools within the curtilage of any house on any of the islands.
November 1995: the Council adopted its Third Article 4 Direction: this removed the right to make any alteration to the roof, to paint the exterior or change the windows or doors of any house on any of the islands.
January 1999: the Council adopted its Fourth (and so far final) Article 4 Direction: this removed the right to provide any temporary structures (excluding plant and machinery) in connection with a development project.
April 2014: the Council of the Isles of Scilly passed the day-to-day management of the AONB to the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust.
July 2021: revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) introduced stricter requirements for Article 4 Directions. Local planning authorities must now provide robust evidence to justify their use, ensure they apply to the smallest area necessary, and demonstrate that they are essential to prevent wholly unacceptable impacts. Local planning authorities are encouraged to review any existing Article 4 Directions that pre-date the July 2021 revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework, to ensure they are supported by robust evidence, apply only to the smallest area necessary, and remain justified under the strengthened national policy requirements.
September 2023: the Council applied to the Government for a grant through the Planning Skills and Delivery Fund (PSDF) to undertake a review of its Conservation Area. The bid for PSDF money was successful. The Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan will be a key document to support development projects on the islands and will be adopted, in due course, as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). During 2024 Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU), who have been appointed to carry out this work, have undertaken the preliminary site visits and pulled together a full understanding of the significance, and historical development across the five inhabited islands. This work is now available for the community to read, and in order to progress this towards a key supplementary planning document.
November 2023: the Government's response to the 2019 Landscapes Review (also known as the Glover Review), announced the formal new name of the AONBs as National Landscapes to better reflect their national significance.
WE ARE HERE: November 2025 we are currently at Stage 1: Early Community Involvement.
We’re inviting your views on our Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan (CAAMP) work to date. The draft report is now available for the community to read, and we’d love to hear your thoughts to help shape this into a key Supplementary Planning Document.
The draft provides:
- An overview of Scilly’s unique landscape and building heritage
- Summaries of key themes and each main island
- An outline of potential management plan measures for consultation
The management plan section is currently in outline form, and we’re keen to develop it further with your input. Please take a look and share your views — your feedback will help guide the next stage of this important work.
Our Consultation is now open for 7 weeks:
What we are consulting on:
How to respond:
Once you've had a read of draft plan, we would welcome your views and have devised a questionnaire, which should take around 10 minutes:
When to respond:
No later than 5pm on Friday 02 January 2026
Responses to this work will inform the next stages towards adopting this work as a Supplementary Planning Document.
Next Stages
