Kettering Central Neighbourhood Plan

Policy KET3 Conservation Area Design

  1. The Central Kettering Neighbourhood Plan identified the Kettering Conservation Area, as shown on the Policies Map. Development proposals located within the Conservation Area will only be granted where it respects the scale, form and density of the historic pattern of development, where it protects views and roofscapes and where it preserves or enhances the key characteristics and appearance of the conservation area.
  2. Proposals to alter buildings in ways which diminish their special character pose the greatest threat to the integrity of the conservation area. As such, development proposals for new buildings, redevelopments and refurbishments, located in and within the setting of the conservation area, must demonstrate that they:
  1. respect the scale and mass of traditional buildings within the locality.
  2. do not obscure views to the Church of St Peter and St Paul or be of a scale of height that competes with it.
  3. respect the historic pattern of plot boundaries within the conservation area.
  4. complement the historic and architectural character of the conservation area, in terms of plan form, elevational treatment and materials. In particular, principal elevations should always front the street.
  5. follow the historic street frontage line; arbitrary setback and breaks in formally continuous frontages weaken the townscape qualities, conflict with local character and should not be permitted.
  6. follow the hierarchy of the historic street pattern.
  7. maintain the traditional rhythm and appearance of shopfronts in accordance with KET5
  8. respect the height of traditional buildings within the locality. This will normally limit new developments to a three-storey maximum.
  9. reconcile the need for external advertising with the conservation of buildings, streets and views so as to preserve or enhance the character of the conservation area. Where planning permission or adverting consent it required, proposals including the use of digital billboards will not be permitted.
  10. sensitively manage the transition from busy urban town centre and the quieter leafy residential streets where proposals are located around the Heritage/Civic Quarter in their orientation, scale, materials, landscaping and respectful of the key historic buildings in the immediate vicinity.
  11. Retain, repair, replace to match the original, or reinstate original features. Removal of earlier unsympathetic alterations will also be supported.
  1. Proposals to improve the character and appearance of the conservation area and its setting through the re-development of buildings which currently make a negative contribution will be supported, including, but not limited to:
  1. Bus Depot, Northampton Road.
  2. 3 Station Road, (Hearing and Mobility Centre).
  3. The mid 20th century retail blocks on the west side of the High Street.
  4. The frontage of the former Gala Bingo Hall, High Street.
  5. The Newlands Centre, multistorey car park and the Telephone Exchange. Whilst outside the conservation area their massing, height, scale and materials have a negative impact on the setting Any redevelopment must be undertaken with the utmost sensitivity and respecting long distance views to the Parish Church and complimenting the town centre facilities rather than competing with them.
  6. Dalkeith Place and Silver Street. This is an important area in the centre of the town whose sympathetic redevelopment could exert benefits across the whole of the town centre.
  7. East side of the Horse Market, between Green Lane and Carrington Street will provide a unique opportunity for development which could contribute positively to the town centre and restore the sense of enclosure to the Horse Market.
  8. 9 – 19 Montague Street. Sensitive redevelopment which follows the form, height and detailing of Montague Buildings and continues the horizonal rhythm of the street in this location.
  1. Proposals for retrofitting which would result in considerable improvements to energy efficiency, carbon emissions and/or general suitability, condition and longevity of existing buildings in the Conservation Area will be supported, with significant weight attributed to those benefits. These benefits will be balanced against the NPPF, with weight accorded to the significance of those heritage assets.
  2. Development proposals must integrate Secured by Design (SBD) principles where these are compatible with conservation policy and do not harm the architectural or historic significance of buildings or the Conservation Area as a whole. This includes:
  1. Enhancing natural surveillance without altering historic fenestration patterns.
  2. Designing entrances, circulation routes and boundary treatments that improve safety while respecting traditional forms and materials.
  3. Incorporating discreet security measures (such as non-intrusive lighting, traditional-style doors or windows with secure detailing) that do not detract from historic character.

Where a conflict arises between SBD measures and the preservation of historic character, heritage considerations will take precedence, but applicants must demonstrate that security enhancements have been maximised within these constraints.

  1. In the public realm, original features should be retained and repaired and new features introduced in sympathy with the original. This includes Yorkstone paving (as seen in Sheep Street) or small sets to replace modern tarmac (as seen in West Street) and street furniture such as bollards and public light fittings, all of which should all be designed or selected to enhance the unique character of the conservation area and the buildings to which it provides a setting. Tree planting, whilst a welcome addition, should not conceal good quality older retail frontages.

Supporting Text

  1. This policy is design to protect the conservation area and ensure no further erosion of its character and visual appearance takes place. By seeking to conserve traditional buildings and adding new ones that reinforce historic character, the relative impact of negative elements will be diminished. The key characteristics that contribute to the significance of its local architectural and historic interest are evident in:
  1. The Grade I listed Church of St Peter & St Paul, which is the oldest building in the town. It is key feature of the town, and its dominant, towering spire is visible from most directions.
  2. The material palette, typified by traditional materials, generally local orange/red brick, with Ketton stone dressings, or stone and blue/grey Welsh slate. 
  3. The positioning of the main frontages of buildings built hard-up to the back of pavements maintaining a tight urban quality, reinforced in several streets which terminate with a well design building, feature or interrupted by an offset.
  4. The intrinsic historic and/or social value and group value of its designated heritage assets, which serve as a reminder of the town’s past.
  5. The decoration and detailing characteristic of commercial buildings in the town centre in the early twentieth century, such as open balustrade at rooftop level, robust strapwork decorative features and dramatic parapet rooflines and projecting bay windows at first floor level.
  6. The verdant setting of the Cultural Quarter, in the southern part of the historic medieval core of the town (from Manor House Gardens, around the boundary of the NNC civic buildings to Corn Market) providing a green transition between the town centre and residential streets to the south. This is a key area visible from all main routes entering the town centre, at the node point of several longer views towards the spire of the Parish Church.
  7. The existence of modest residential streets and buildings in the heart of the town, a signal both to Kettering’s late industrialisation and growth as well as modern infilling.
  1. There are also a number of listed buildings within the Conservation Area, several of which are concentrated around Sheep Street, the High Street and Horsemarket as follows:
  • The Church of Saint Peter & Saint Paul (Parish Church)
  • Piccadilly Buildings, Sheep Street
  • Alfred East Art Gallery, Sheep Street
  • Public Library, Sheep Street
  • Manor House Museum, Sheep Street
  • The Rectory, Church Walk
  • United Reformed Church, London Road
  • NatWest Bank, High Street.
  • Former London, City and Midland Bank (HSBC)
Map showing the concentration of listed buildings in the town centre, including 8 buildings near the library, 2 on Market Street, 3 on West Street and 4 on the High Street all within short walking distance of each other
Figure 2. Concentration of Listed buildings in the Conservation Area around the Town Centre.
  1. These buildings are a vivid, visual reminder of Kettering’s Pas and form part of a wider special interest in Kettering which is considered not just through this policy but in KET4 Areas of Special Character and KET7 Local Heritage Assets.
  2. The summary of the special interest of Kettering is set out in the 2007 Conservation Area Review which states:

“Kettering remains an attractive and cohesive town with its town centre buildings and street pattern reflecting their medieval, market town origin, dominated by the medieval Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul, and with suburbs still little altered from their creation in the nineteenth century when Kettering rapidly expanded, particularly in connection with its thriving shoe industries. Reminders of this are all around, whether it be the former shoe factories in the suburbs, the rows of nearby artisan housing, or the more lavish residential areas laid out for wealthy managers and factory owners. This boom time is marked also in the handsome town schools and community facilities of the time – the churches and chapels, parish rooms and cooperative society shops and stores – and most famously in the later Wickstead Park of 1921. It was the era of the great business families of Kettering such as the Timpson’s and Gotch’s of shoe fame and Toller, leading solicitors.

Kettering was the birthplace of the Independent Baptist Missionary Society, no mere accident of history given the fervour of non-conformity in the borough in the nineteenth century – with several local evangelical figures including William Carey, missionary; William Knibb, missionary and emancipator (responsible for the liberation of some 300,000 slaves) and Andrew Fuller, Baptist minister. Sites or buildings connected with all three figures remain in Kettering together with a rich variety of churches and chapels.

There is a surprisingly rich stream of artists and architects connected with the town: John Alfred Gotch, leading architect and president of the RIBA and his brother Thomas Cooper Gotch a leading artist, both sons of the Gotch shoe family. Above all looms Alfred East, metaphorically and physically. He was an important artist nationally of the late nineteenth century, knighted in 1901 and his gift of a gallery (with paintings) still graces the centre of the town, a memorial both to him and an important era of civic pride.”

  1. Clause C reflects Kettering Town Council’s commitment, as part of its response to the Climate Emergency, to encourage local residents to use deep retrofitting (an in-depth renovation of a building with a focus on reducing the energy consumption as much as possible) as a way to reduce their carbon footprint and help save energy and money in heating and maintaining their homes.
  2. The current planning system doesn’t adequately ensure that extensions, and changes to houses are energy efficient, and makes energy improvements in the conservation area very difficult.  Clause C therefore seeks to try to ensure that energy efficiency is taken into account during any building works, and to promote a positive approach to energy efficiency measures in houses in the conservation areas and listed buildings. 20% of total UK carbon emissions comes from existing (rather than new build) homes (source: ACAN Toolkit) but heritage and architectural constraints can make this challenging, particularly for residents living in listed buildings or properties located within the conservation area, to make changes. This policy acknowledges the need to balance the preservation of heritage assets with energy efficiency and seeks to encourage residents in conservation areas to consider modern methods of retrofitting which can minimise adverse visual impact.
  3. Applicants who wish to submit proposals for properties within the conservation areas are advised to consider the methodology set out in the ACAN Climate Energy Conservation Area Toolkit (2022 or subsequent edition) which sets out ideas with worked examples for roofs, chimneys, porches, solar/heat pumps, windows insulation and rear extensions. For those residents living in listed buildings the Historic England Adapting Historic Buildings for Energy and Carbon Efficiency advice note (July 2024 or subsequent edition) can also help facilitate low carbon retrofitting. Proposed improvements could be demonstrated through the production of a current EPC or equivalent certification and using the government “Improve Energy Efficiency” online survey to illustrate the proposed savings.
  4. In respect of Clause D, Secured by Design (SBD) principles play an important role in creating safe and resilient places, and early engagement highlighted community concerns relating to anti-social behaviour and safety within parts of the town centre. However, traditional security measures can sometimes conflict with the architectural qualities and historic fabric that define the Conservation Area. Policy KET3 therefore supports the use of SBD principles only where they can be sensitively integrated without harming the special interest of the area. In practice, this means prioritising measures that reinforce natural surveillance, improve lighting in a discreet and heritage-appropriate manner, enhance the security of entrances using traditional forms and materials, and design layouts that reduce opportunities for concealment. More intrusive interventions—such as roller shutters, external bars or prominent modern fixtures—will not be appropriate where they erode the character or appearance of historic buildings or streets. By encouraging context-appropriate SBD approaches, the policy seeks to balance the preservation of heritage significance with the community’s need for safe, welcoming and well-used streets and spaces.

Policy Map

To see the full Kettering Central Neighbourhood Plan Policy Map, please visit our Policy Map page.

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