Boughton News - May

Boughton – A beautiful village and a conservation area as well I enjoy, as I am sure do many other readers, living in Boughton which I regard as one of the most attractive villages in West Norfolk. We no longer have any shops or pubs but to my mind that adds to its attraction. We have a hard core of volunteers who work hard to maintain such assets as the village green, the village pond, the children’s playground and of course our fen. Looking through some papers recently I was reminded that this year is the 40th anniversary of Boughton’s designation as a conservation area, In this context a Conservation Area is defined as “An area of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance”. For readers interested to learn more King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council (KL&WN BC) have a very good leaflet which gives the full background to Boughton’s designation as a conservation area. It can be found on the web at: https://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/downloads/file/1898/boughton_conservation_area_leaflet Of course as well as the benefits that Conservation area designation brings it also means that there are extra planning considerations that may come into play. For example new buildings and changes to existing buildings may require special consideration. Even the removal (or cutting back) of trees or hedges can require formal approval from the planning authority. The rules are sometimes complex and if in doubt I would strongly encourage checking directly with KL&WN BC. The first fourty years of conservation area designation has I think been a great success and I hope our successors will look back in another fourty years and still appreciate the beauty of our village. I mentioned above that we have a small group of volunteers who work hard to maintain our village assets and if you would like to be involved then do give me a call (my number is 500957) or come round to see me at Church View in Wretton Road.

Tom Roberts Chairman Boughton Parish Council