Character Appraisal for the Trent & Mersey Canal Conservation Area
East Staffordshire Borough Council has shared a Draft version of their brand new Character Appraisal for the Trent & Mersey Canal Conservation Area. This has been prepared by the consultants WooHoo Ltd, which is a Lancashire based heritage and conservation specialist consultancy with a strong background in Planning and Policy for the conservation sector.
As you are likely aware the Trent and Mersey Canal Conservation Area is an extensive linear conservation area, designated on 6 May 1988 by Staffordshire County Council in conjunction with the City Council of Stoke-on-Trent, the Borough Councils of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stafford, the District Councils of Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire and Lichfield. At that time a joint Conservation Area document was produced, covering the whole of the Staffordshire section of the Canal but the East Staffordshire Borough section has never had a detailed area appraisal.
Under section 69 (2) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, it is a requirement of local planning authorities to update conservation area appraisals regularly, and designate further areas as necessary.
On 22nd June 2026, this Council gave Notice of Intention to Commence a new Local Plan for East Staffordshire for the period 2025-2043, and so we must now prepare the evidence base to support the new plan.
Therefore you are invited to attend one of two consultation events to review the contents of the draft character appraisal as it will become a material consideration for any application for planning and listed building consent within the CA boundary and its setting.
As with the Local Plan, consultation by a wide number of stakeholders, is an essential part of the policy making process and so we would be most grateful if you could share this message with as many people as you can via your websites, social media, newsletter and public meetings.
The events details are as follows:
18th August – 11am till 1.30pm at The Pirelli Stadium. Visitors should park in the main carpark outside the grounds reception area and come to the ground floor reception desk where they will be directed on where to go.
19th August – 11am till 1.30pm at Barton Marina, The Crow’s Nest event space above The Waterfront Restaurant. Visitors will be directed by Waterfront staff to the Crow’s Nest on arrival.
Tea/coffee and biscuits will be available.
These are drop-in sessions with a short presentation on loop and opportunities to meet the authors of the Appraisal as well as comment on the key findings of the document.
They will direct attendees attention to sections titled ‘Analysis of Character’ of each zone of the canal which has been divided into the following ‘Rural South, Industrial Centre and Residential North’
It will be these characteristics that they will be looking to preserve and protect and so applicants and agents will need to be mindful of these when designed their development proposals.
ESBC strongly invite people to consider if we have missed any element of the canal’s character which should be protected through this document.