Our Heritage Advice Service (HAS) offers guidance and support to Letchworth homeowners who wish to make alterations to their homes. The team ensures that the original principles of the garden city are managed and maintained through the Scheme of Management and our Design Principles, and that changes to your home are sympathetic to Letchworth’s unique character.
What strange times we live in, but as we emerge from lockdown, I wanted to reassure Letchworth homeowners that we are still here to offer advice and guidance about your application to carry out work on your home.
Like many organisations, due to COVID-19, we have reduced our staff hours for the time being, but we are all working hard to ensure that you receive a good service. To help speed up the service, we are encouraging people to use our online application service and to avoid unnecessary delays, we are now issuing decisions via email.
To support homeowners bring together their initial ideas, we continue to offer free pre-application advice, so if you have any questions do email us at home@letchworth.com
To ensure everyone’s safety under the current COVID-19 restrictions, we are asking homeowners to submit photographs when you have finished building or renovation work for final sign-off.
Don’t forget, if you are carrying out any external alterations to your property including frontages, hard standings, or removing trees or hedges, please contact our team to get the relevant consent before you start work. We are aware that some companies claim to have permissions in place, but this is simply not the case. Permission must be sought by the homeowner, not the contractor.
Do remember that you must apply for consent before any work gets underway. Work carried out without the correct consent can result in enforcement action being taken and will require a retrospective application costing £180 +VAT. It’s also important to know that carrying out work without consent could result in unnecessary delays and problems when you come to sell your house.
We are here to help you and if you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01462 530355 or at home@letchworth.com
