About the Stoneygate Conservation Area
Stoneygate is one of the most handsome and architecturally interesting parts of Leicester. In 1978, it became Leicester’s first primarily residential conservation area and in the same year, the Stoneygate Conservation Area Society was formed.
The historical buildings, streets, trees and green spaces in the Stoneygate Conservation Area (which also includes parts of Clarendon Park and Knighton) are mainly Victorian and Edwardian but also include some inter-war additions.
Together they represent a key period of the City’s development and their ‘special character’ is defined in the Character Appraisal, written by City Council Conservation and Planning Officers. It is an important factor in future planning decision-making.
Learn more about the area’s architecture and landscapes on the Conservation Area and Gallery pages and its historical evolution on the A Brief History of Stoneygate page.
The Work of The Stoneygate Conservation Area Society
People committed to the aims of the conservation area need a body to represent their interests, to engage in dialogue with the Council, to hold it to account for the developments that will inevitably take place and to ensure that it upholds its part of the deal. SCAS is the only group that does this.
The Stoneygate Conservation Area Society is committed to Stoneygate. We want to see it thrive as a place where people can live and work (and as a place to visit) but we also want to preserve and enhance its great visual legacy and protect it against careless development and other threats.
We stay alert to local issues and interact with our members (and members of the public) by:
- giving advice and information
- producing and delivering a regular newsletter to our members
- maintaining a website (www.stoneygateconservation.org)
- arranging local walks and talks
Our AGM is usually open to the public, features a guest speaker, and is free. You don’t have to live in the Conservation Area to become a member, either. We welcome anyone who, like us, cherishes Stoneygate’s unique character.
Conserving the Character of Stoneygate
Whatever the political climate at the City Council and whatever their attitude to conservation, the Society has always been a watchdog and a mouthpiece for those who cherish the area’s uniqueness.
There is a very practical side to our activities. Stoneygate will only remain special if we all, Council, property-owners, residents and landlords alike, sign up to the high standards and uphold the rules.
The creation of a Conservation Area makes us all co-custodians of the City’s heritage. It’s the owners who bear the costs but as long as the Council enforces the rules, everyone benefits from a virtuous cycle in which amenity values and property prices remain buoyant and a unique piece of Leicester’s heritage is retained for future generations and visitors to the City.