Council steps in to protect Old Crosby’s charm – and demands higher standards for the future

Residents in Old Crosby will be asked to help shape plans to restore pride, raise standards and better protect the area’s remaining historic character – ensuring the neighbourhood’s most important buildings and features can be safeguarded for generations to come.

North Lincolnshire Council is proposing to redraw the Old Crosby Conservation Area boundary, so protection is focused on the original historic core – the part of the neighbourhood that still reflects the character and charm that first led to its designation.

The move is designed to support regeneration through conservation, helping the area look and feel more like the Old Crosby people value.

Cllr Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council, said: “Old Crosby has played an important part in the story of the county town of Scunthorpe. Residents rightly want to see its historic character respected.

“This proposal focuses protection where it will genuinely make a difference – preserving the buildings and features that still define the area. We want to protect the old and deliver the new and do it with residents helping to shape its future.”

A consultation will be launched in the New Year and will include proposals for stronger planning measures to stop further loss of traditional features and help ensure future alterations enhance, rather than detract from, the local street scene.

A detailed review has shown that parts of the existing conservation area – designated in 1976 – have experienced decades of piecemeal changes, meaning the current boundary no longer reflects what is genuinely of historic or architectural value.

Cllr David Rose, cabinet member for environment and strategy, said: “Conservation status only works when it protects what is truly special.

“By consulting on a refined boundary and stronger safeguards, we can help prevent further erosion of historic character and give homeowners confidence that future changes will enhance the neighbourhood rather than diminish it.

“We want residents, community groups and heritage organisations to get involved and tell us what they think.”

The consultation, launching in the New Year, will seek views on proposals to:

• Retain and protect the historic heart of Old Crosby, including properties 39–51 Old Crosby – the area that best reflects the village’s origins.
• Strengthen planning controls through an Article 4 (2) Direction so traditional features such as windows, doors, roofs and boundary walls can be preserved and sensitively reinstated over time.
• Support long-term neighbourhood pride by ensuring future changes contribute positively to the character, quality and appearance of Old Crosby.