PPS 6 Planning Archaeology and the Built Heritage·Page 41·9.3
Re-use of vernacular buildings through conversion
The Department encourages sympathetic renovation or conversion of vernacular buildings for appropriate uses including tourism, recreation, employment, or rural enterprises. Conversion schemes should involve minimum work, maintain or enhance the building's character, and avoid substantial demolition or character-altering extensions.
The Department wishes therefore to encourage the re-use of such vernacular buildings by sympathetic renovation or conversion for a range of appropriate uses. This may include proposals for tourism or recreation use, small-scale employment uses or new rural enterprises. All development proposals for the conversion of a vernacular building should involve a minimum of work and should maintain or enhance the existing character of the building and its setting. Approval will not normally be given to a scheme involving substantial demolition or extensions which significantly alter the appearance or character of the building. Design therefore is particularly important and where extensions or external alterations are proposed, these must reflect the scale, massing, materials and detailing of the existing property. All proposals will therefore be critically assessed as to their contribution to the conservation of the building to be converted.
Source — /Users/richardhill/Documents/planning-arch-project/data/documents/regional/PPS 6 - Planning Archaeology and the Built Heritage.pdf