Homeowners in Cotswolds villages are embracing draconian planning laws
For many homeowners, council rules deciding what colour you can paint your own front door would feel like an outrageous encroachment.An Englishman's home is his castle, after all.But for locals living in some of the Cotswolds' most beautiful villages, draconian do's and don'ts are actually being embraced.Scores of towns and villages across the picturesque region, favoured by the rich and famous, have been forced to take on strict building regulations banning even minor changes to people's homes without planning permission.The laws - called Article 4 directions - were highlighted by the Mail last week in Snowshill, a village known as the setting of Bridget Jones's Diary, and have also been applied to villages and towns including Bibury, Avening, Chippenham and Didmarton. In Bibury, a chocolate box village in Gloucestershire descended on by coachloads of Chinese tourists every summer, restrictions stop locals from replacing or painting their front doors or window frames a different colour, erecting a gate or fence, or laying a patio in their front garden without securing long-winded and expensive agreements. But instead of kicking up a fuss, some see it as the only way to ensure their cottages, streets and squares still look the part for years to come.One local told the Daily Mail: 'I am fully supportive of strict planning regulations; the last thing we need is different colour doors. 'The whole character of the Cotswolds revolves around history - it doesn't revolve around trends.' The famous Arlington Row in Bibury, which has been voted the most beautiful village in the world Paul (pictured), of Bibury, said he agrees with the rigorous planning rules in the village, despite having to seek permission to replant a hedge in his front garden One of the houses that has been installed with a black front door and black windows in Snowshill. The changes have not sat well with some residents who feel it is not in character with the areaCraig Chapman, chairman of Bibury Parish Council, said he is 'rigorous' when approving and objecting applications and will reject anything not in keeping with the area. 'Every month we look at planning applications. We're fairly rigorous I would say, and anything that's out of step with other properties, we would object,' he said. 'Most people would not waste their time putting a planning application in if they felt it was likely not to be approved.' Mr Chapman explained there is a very limited list of colours locals can use when painting their doors and windows, and they must have planning permission to make any changes. Standing outside his own Cotswold house, he said proudly: 'It's a Grade II listed property, and therefore we're not able to change anything without approval. For example, this door is painted this colour because it's an approved colour. 'Green is a typical colour for woodwork; white is acceptable. There is a complete list of the colours you can use.' But one builder, who lives in a neighbouring village, said it is 'impossible' to get anything done, fearing the homes will end up in 'ruins' if no one does the necessary work on them. The builder, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'I think it's very hard to get anything done, and this is why everything costs so much money. '[The] rules are there for a reason; you need to protect the heritage, but you also need to evolve and go with the flow of the times, otherwise you're going to stand very still very quickly. Nothing will get done, and they'll end up being ruins.' Bibury is restricted by harsh rules banning locals from changing almost anything about their house without paid planning permission Craig Chapman (pictured), chairman of Bibury Parish Council, is fully supportive of the strict planning rules A holiday let that has been painted teal blue in Snowshill. This is an example of what would not get planning permission today after rules were tightened Keysafes have been installed outside many properties in the quaint village. This may now require planning permission In Bibury, locals are not allowed to paint their front doors or windows without prior approval The famous Arlington Row in Bibury, where armies of tourists flock every years to snap photos The village of Leigherton, which is also governed by strict planning rules to keep houses in keeping with the area Leighterton, Gloucestershire, where planning rules are particularly tight Retired textiles Weaver Pauline Scrivens, of Leigherton, proudly polishes her pale cream front door and said: 'I wouldn't want it any other colour' He added: 'There are so many loopholes that we have to go through. This is why projects take so long and cost so much money, and everything goes up in price because time equals money.' Christa, who has lived in her Bibury cottage for six years, said it took nine months to get approval to build a small office space in her back garden. 'I appreciate them [the planning rules] because it means people can't build anything modern here, but it is a bit frustrating,' she said. 'It's not so much the rules, but the length of time it takes them to make a decision. That's frustrating. 'We choose to live here as it's rather beautiful. I just think they take too long; it's the length of time that's taken. Just for a small office in the garden it took nine months. It's an office and we wanted to use it.' But Paul, who retired to the Cotswolds five years ago, said he agrees with the rigorous planning rules, despite recently having to seek permission to replant a hedge in his front garden. 'Our building now is 204-years-old, so it's doing the right thing for the building. There's lots of heritage to respect,' he said. 'We had a hedge taken out and we've replanted the hedge. I'd say that's part of the strict rules here - we're part of a conservation area, and it's replanting stuff that's appropriate as well. 'I think that's alright, in the area that we're in - an area of outstanding natural beauty, a conservation area. We're not listed, houses around us are listed anyway, so I think it's appropriate.' He added: 'We're from out of the area - we retired here five years ago, so we as West Midlands people could have had a different idea of what we wanted to do to our house, than what is befitting to the village, so it's a way of doing the right thing.' The village of Avening, which is controlled by strict planning restrictions Antony and Amanda Slater, who built their home (pictured) in Avening in 2015 Bibury was previously voted the most beautiful village in the world for its idyllic settingIn the nearby village of Avening, however - where Princess Anne lives with her daughter Zara Phillips and husband Mike Tindall at the country estate Gatcombe Park - some locals are unhappy with the identical rules they also have to adhere to. Homeowner Charlotte McDermott said it took three years to be granted planning permission for a loft conversion in her house, which sits on a 1970s estate, and even then the extension she wanted was not approved. 'We wanted an attic conversion with dormers [...] but we were rejected on the grounds that from the road, we were too visible,' she said. 'So we have got the attic but it's just Velux now so we couldn't have the full thing that we wanted. 'It was very annoying. It took back and forth in total three years to actually get a final verdict. It was added costs and just frustration and time; we had a growing family, and I've also been sick this year and we needed the extra space.'It was just really frustrating to be rejected.' However, a councillor who lives on the same estate said approval is easy to get for the more modern houses of the village, as opposed to the listed cottages. Tony Slater built his Grand Designs style house on an empty plot of land on the estate in 2015. He said he worked hard to make sure the home was roughly in keeping with the colours and materials of the buildings surrounding the plot, and was granted planning permission with relative ease. 'I think planning for individual houses seems a lot stricter than for big estates,' he said. The village of Bibury, where planning restrictions are extremely strict for locals Building company boss Ollie Smith knows more than most about the extra effort it takes to comply with the traditional way of doing things Avening, where locals say strictness varies depending on which house you live in 'If you want to build an estate you just build hundreds of the little boxes and that just gets waved through. But if you want to build a single house, then the full weight of planning comes down on you. 'I think it depends where you are - it should be roughly in keeping I think, but I wouldn't complain if somebody had a red front door in the middle of the Cotswolds.' The strict rules were imposed in Avening and Bibury in 1998, but the strict rules are continuing to be rolled out across the Cotswolds today. The 12-point Article 4 direction bans everything from: increasing the size of any front part of a house; changing front doors and front windows; replacing any painted woodwork on a house with wood stain on the front of a house; rendering or cladding the front of a house; painting any stonework on the front of a house; altering or replacing satellite dishes or aerials; adding a front porch; changing roof materials; installing rooflights; adding or altering chimneys; adding or altering carports, garages or sheds and removing, adding or altering a gate or fence. In the village of Leighterton, most residents are happy to comply with planning laws because they believe the natural beauty of the area should not be blighted by 'gaudy' colour schemes and botched renovations. Retired textiles Weaver Pauline Scrivens, 68, proudly polishes her pale cream front door and said: 'I wouldn't want it any other colour.' Ms Scrivens, who has lived in the Leighterton area of Gloucestershire all her life, said: 'If people were allowed a free for all on their colour schemes, it would only take a few to spoil the aesthetic environment.'These rules and regulations were brought in for good reason, which is to preserve the traditional and look of these beautiful Cotswold villages.'I love the way the buildings look in this village and all the others around here. We've kept the traditional stone and way of building our houses and we should be glad of that.' Leigherton, where planning restrictions are also very strict for locals who own a home Avening, where like most of the Cotswolds, doors are either green or white She added: 'There are no ugly newbuilds or rogue renovations on display and that is something to celebrate, in my opinion.'Also, having these beautiful buildings around us is reflected in the way people conduct themselves. Everybody around here is so friendly. There's never any trouble. We still have a primary school in the village and that too helps ground people.'I can't imagine living anywhere else. Long live the Cotswolds.'Another local said: 'We are lucky to have the unique local Cotswold stone to build our properties here and I am pleased the local authority insists on us using it for renovation work.'I also think the keeping of the traditional colours that we apply to our wood is very positive.'I hate seeing vulgar, bright paintwork when I leave the Cotswolds. We should all count our blessings that we have a local authority that wants to protect what we have.'Another resident, who asked not to be named, but who works for her local authority as a housing sustainability officer, said: 'I've been working to preserve our beautiful Cotswold buildings all of my professional life and I am so glad we live in an area where what we have is protected so well.'Sure, it can be more expensive for homeowners, but it is a price worth paying.'I know only too well how much it costs to keep these standards because I have recently had all my windows and doors replaced, which of course meant paying the extra to have handmade windows and doors installed.'But the result is splendid. They look like they've been here forever.'They keep the building looking traditional and that can only be a good thing.'I don't want to see PVC windows and plastic doors in a beautiful village like this, or bright paint work everywhere. We are lucky to have these rules in place.'Building company boss Ollie Smith knows more than most about the extra effort it takes to comply with the traditional way of doing things.As his team of builders carried out renovation work at a property in Leighterton, he said: 'We find ourselves dealing with planning officers on an almost daily basis, but it is worth it. In Bibury, locals are restricted by harsh rules banning them from changing almost anything about their house without paid planning permission 'They are sticklers for ensuring we use exactly the right traditional materials and built in the right way and I think as a result it makes every house we work on blend in perfectly with the look and feel of the Cotswolds.'Sure, sometimes we have to go through a lot of hoops to get the build done, but it always looks good at the end.'We have to source materials from as far away is Italy on occasions because you can't always find what you need locally.' He added: 'Obviously, this adds cost onto the job and unfortunately the client has to pay the extra amount for it, but that's the way it is.'We have to replace everything with like for like materials and everything has to be approved by building regulations officers at the local council. It is a faff sometimes, but it ensures the right outcome.'In nearby Shipton Moyne, where King Charles regularly popped into the local pub, the Cat and Custard Pot Inn during his Highgrove days, locals say they are happy with the restrictive planning regulations which, they say, ensure traditions are kept alive when it comes to building work.One, Penny Rejoyce said: 'Without these laws I'm afraid many of the beautiful, typical Cotswold buildings would not look nice at all.'I have been to other parts of the country where there are no such laws and people are free to renovate and paint their woodwork and make so-called improvements however they want, and frankly it often looks awful.'I am a firm believer that any work done on a house should be as good or ideally better than how you found it.'I love the traditional colours around our windows and other woodwork, and I hope these regulations stay in place for good.'Craftsmen took time and care making Cotswold homes look the way they do and as a community, we owe it to them to preserve their work.' The beautiful Cotswolds towns and villages playing by the rulesDidmarton, Gloucestershire, the closest village to King Charles's beloved country estate Highgrove, Article 4 restrictions are in full affect for locals.Chippenham in Wiltshire, in the south of the Cotwolds, where the actor Dominic West lives, and where Queen Camilla also has a private house nearby is also subject to the conditions.The rules were introduced to the town in the 1990s on residential properties, mainly located within certain central areas, and covered removed permitted development rights for rear extensions, roof alterations, porch extensions, boundary treatment, exterior painting, and in some instances outbuildings.Also affected is the tourist hotspot of Moreton-In-Marsh in Gloucestershire, where superstar DJ Calvin Harris and his wife, Radio One DJ Vick Hope, are currently building a massive estate complete with a swimming lake and vast house.In Moreton-in-Marsh, the town's hospital in particular has a direction covering 'the erection, construction, maintenance, improvement or alteration of a gate, fence, wall or other means of enclosure'. Robert Miller, a retired civil engineer who has worked in the construction industry most of his life, was 'born and bred' in Snowshill Locals say new planning rules restricting people from painting their front doors without permission have been pushed through by a small group of 'busy bodies' in SnowshillAlmost the entire town of Chipping Campden, the picturesque Cotswold market town in Gloucestershire dating from the Middle Ages, is also covered by a very detailed ruling.Article 4 restrictive planning directives are also in place in Gloucestershire's Bourton On The Water village, an extremely popular tourist hub attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.With a population of just 4,000, it is nicknamed the Venice of the Cotswolds for its pretty network of rivers and low bridges.In Bourton On The Water, the restrictions are also very detailed and list a large number of properties in the town which must comply.In Lower Slaughter, the setting of the 2020 movie adaptation of Emma starring Anya Taylor-Joy, there is a raft of Article 4 directions covering large parts of the village.The same applies to Winchcombe, in Gloucestershire, the location of Sudeley Castle, where Henry VIII's wife Queen Katherine Parr once lived and where Liz Hurley married Arun Nayar in 2007.Similarly, Stroud in Gloucestershire, which is home to actor Keith Allen, and where Oasis lead singer Liam Gallagher recently rented a house for a year in the run up to the Oasis reunion world tour, also has restrictions covering parts of it.The nearby village of Bisley, where the recently-departed author Jilly Cooper lived, is also governed by tight rules. Elsewhere in Gloucestershire, Cheltenham and Gloucester - two of the Cotswolds best known towns - have large areas covered by Article 4.The Cotswolds town of Cirencester, Gloucestershire, where the likes of Anne Robinson, Daisy May Cooper and Laurence Llewelyn Bowen live, is currently reviewing whether the directions might be implemented.The part of Warwickshire within the Cotswolds region which has multiple directions is Stratford-on-Avon, where Shakespeare was famously born in the 16th century and where he lived much of his life.In Stratford-on-Avon, an Article 4 direction is in place to protect its conservation areas and specifically to control the conversion of family homes to smaller houses of multiple occupation.The part of Worcestershire in the far north with strict rulings is the Wychavon District Council area. It covers alterations to existing doors and windows, change of roof materials and the removal of boundaries.In Oxfordshire, various Article 4 directions have been in place since 2021 covering a large area of in Chipping Norton, where Clarkson's Farm is filmed and where Jeremy Clarkson and various other celebrities live.There, the directions are being used in a slightly different way and are tailored to specifically prohibit any buildings on six large business parks to change use to residential houses without planning permission.The part of Somerset in the south Cotswolds with Article 4 rulings include some spots in the historic city of Bath, where the likes of chef Marco Pierre White, Peter Gabriel and Duran Duran's John Taylor and the actress Ashley Jensen live.In 2015, a ten-year lasting Article 4 direction was brought into force to prevent households using estate agent boards to advertise whether a house was for let or sale because it was deemed to visually impact the famous city, which is a World Heritage site.A Cotswold District Council spokesperson said: 'Cotswold District Council's planning policies aim to protect the unique character and heritage of our towns and villages. ['In some more sensitive areas, additional controls - such as requiring permission for changes to external features - are in place to ensure that alterations are in keeping with the local setting. 'These measures help maintain the qualities that make the Cotswolds special, which is why they are often supported by conservation bodies and many residents.'Article 4 Directions are intended to remove or restrict permitted development rights so that planning applications can be assessed against local planning policies.'Common uses include protecting conservation areas, or preventing development that could harm local amenity or well-being.'We do recognise, however, that opinions differ, and we welcome constructive debate on how best to balance heritage protection with flexibility for homeowners. Our goal is always to ensure that the Cotswolds remains a beautiful and vibrant place for future generations.'
