Wellington H2A helps to create new Conservation Area Guidance for businesses

I’ve written before that in an age of so much competition – from other places and from online – high streets like Wellington’s need to look and feel as inviting as possible. Attractive buildings and good signage – the stuff that makes up the fabric of the town – aren’t just a bonus, therefore. They are fundamental to making Wellington somewhere that people want to shop, eat and hang out in a virtuous circle of high footfall, more businesses and even more footfall.

Some businesses completely get this and you’ll find some great looking premises in the centre of Wellington, but others don’t. For years I’ve thought we should be more proactive about helping businesses to make good decisions about things like signage. Instead, we sometimes see quite poor choices which can undermine the way that particular business presents itself, can tarnish the appearance of the wider streetscape, and – in those cases where the council demands they change it – can cost those small businesses a lot of money to put right. And what constitutes ‘good’ isn’t just about personal taste, either: as a conservation area, there are rules to follow and some basic design principles that can help – if you know where to find them.

The borough council has long provided guidance on shop front design in its conservation areas, but it’s quite long and too few businesses know about it.

So, last year I drafted some easy-to-use guidance for businesses based in Wellington’s conservation area (that’s basically the whole town centre plus a bit more besides). I shared this with design and planning officers at Telford and Wrekin Council to get their expert input, and together we agreed a final version which has now been launched by Wellington Regeneration Partnership.

The Partnership’s aim is that this relatively short and easy-to-use guidance specific to Wellington and with lots of direct practical recommendations will be something that ALL businesses and commercial property owners use from now on before undertaking changes. The result, we hope, is that businesses can be supported to make good choices first time round and that over time, Wellington’s historic town centre looks the best it possibly can.

You can download the Wellington Conservation Area Guidance here: