THE village of Oswaldkirk is being given special designation to protect its wealth of history.

Ryedale District Council has updated the original conservation area status given to the village in 1984 due to the number of noteworthy features it boasts.

Clara Turlington, the council’s building conservation officer, said: “The production of the Oswaldkirk Plan is part of a long-term project to increase the coverage of conservation area appraisals and assessments for Ryedale.”

She highlighted the fact that Oswaldkirk has a dramatic landscape and trees which enhance the conservation area.

In a report on Oswaldkirk, she added that its features include open views across Coxwold and Gilling, mature trees and gardens, historic buildings, housing designs of quality and a mixture of stone walling and mature hedges to boundaries.

However, she lists its weakness as the volume of traffic, “weak modern boundary treatments”, creation of off-street parking and unsympathetic alterations to buildings of quality.

But there are opportunities to improve windows, doors and roofing through the National Park’s conservation area enhancement scheme, and funding for hedge and tree planting, as well as high quality design of the street scene.

Ms Turlington said Oswaldkirk could suffer if mature trees are not replaced, if there is “insensitive” conversion of characterful historic buildings, and warned that new development outside the conservation area could have a negative impact.

A list of guidlines has been drawn up by Ryedale District Council to protect and enhance Oswaldkirk’s image, with advice on colour schemes for house painting, protection of green spaces, sympathetic surfacing of footpaths and outlawing black Tarmac and concrete kerbs.

Ms Turlington recommends that any new street lighting should be mounted on existing electricity poles rather than stand-alone columns and advocates bringing back traditional black and white cast iron “finger posts” which existed years ago.