Prestbury Conservation Area
Designated by Gloucestershire County Council on 15th August 1971, its boundary was revised by Cheltenham Borough Council 26th July 2001 and covers 26 hectares. The Conservation Area contains 60 Grade 11 listed buildings/structures, two Grade 11*listed buildings/structures and some locally listed buildings/structures. To the north of the Conservation Area lies the remains of a moated site which is one of six scheduled ancient monuments located within the Borough of Cheltenham.
A supplementary planning document (SPD) was adopted by the Council on 29th June 2009 and outlines the special character that warrants its designation as a conservation area. The SPD is used as a material consideration in determining planning and related applications and replaces previous planning guidance produced in 2003.
Prestbury is an outlying village to the north east of Cheltenham approximately two miles from the town centre and forms part of Prestbury Parish. The Conservation Area covers the original village and has a distinct character. The remainder of the village forms suburban development around Prestbury's historic core.
Prestbury is set at the foot of Cleeve Hill, which forms part of the Cotwold scarp. The Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers a vast area of land to the east and south-east of Prestbury. Land to the north is designated Green Belt and this land is important to the setting of the Conservation Area.
The Conservation Area is surrounded on its south and west sides by dense, suburban development which is associated with other parts of Prestbury and Cheltenham. Large amounts of development occur along Prestbury Road, New Barn Lane and Priors Road, which form the main roads into Prestbury Village from Cheltenham.
The physical character of the Conservation Area is determined by the form of the roads, enclosed and open spaces and distance views of Cleeve Hill and Agg's Hill. The linear form of the main streets creates long vistas whilst buildings positioned against the back edge of footpath create a sense of enclosed space. Green spaces provide a sense of spaciousness and trees provide natural boundaries. The positioning of Cleeve Hill to the east and Green Belt to the north provides an attractive setting for the village and natural, soft enclosures.
Prestbury Conservation Area has a varied mix of building type, style, age and function. This adds to the special interest of the Conservation Area through the visual architectural mix of buildings, their varied details and materials, and their varied relationship to each other, as well as the assorted uses of buildings and land.
Prestbury has retained its unique village character and qualities through the visual dominance of historically and architecturally important buildings and the retention of their attractive historic settings.