Disproportionate burden assessment for the Colchester Conservation Area 4 documents

Scope

It is a statutory requirement to publish new Article 4 Directions and variations to Conservations Areas and it is good practice to publish adopted Character Appraisal and Management Proposals for the information of the public.

A summary of the responses received were reported back to the Local Plan Committee who resolved that the consultation exercise did not generate the requirement for any amendments to the draft documents and proposals. The Character Appraisal and Management Proposals (including the extension of the Conservation Area boundary and the making of the Article 4 Directions) were formally adopted and the Article 4 Directions were made on 12 April 2024.

It is a statutory requirement to publish new Article 4 Directions and variations to Conservations Areas and it is good practice to publish adopted Character Appraisal and Management Proposals for the information of the public.

Benefits of creating an accessible version

The benefits of creating a HTML version of this PDF would be:

• A fully accessible version for all users to access
• An easily searchable and indexable version

Burden placed on the organisation

The Character Appraisal and Management Proposals report is a lengthy document (140 pages) which includes information in the form of maps and photographs. We have estimated that it would take a disproportionate amount of content designer's time to create an HTML version of this PDF.

Additionally, there was time pressure to publish the Article 4 Directions and the amendment to the Conservation Area boundary as soon as possible after they were made.

Contributing factors

• Interest in the documents is expected to be limited as those with an interest are likely to be localised and limited in number.
• We will continue to assist with accessible versions on request.

Assessment

Having considered the estimated effort involved in creating an accessible version, along with the low estimated demand, we have concluded that the work involved would be a poor use of staff time. This represents a disproportionate burden on the organisation.

View the Colchester Conservation Area 4 documents

If you need any of the information from the PDF provided in another format, contact eirini.dimerouki@colchester.gov.uk.