4.41.1 The designation of a Conservation Area is a commitment to the preservation and enhancement of its character. This should not imply stagnation through resistance to change but should include positive action to obtain improvement where opportunities arise. The Council, together with the County Council and English Heritage, promotes and administers the Morpeth Heritage Economic Regeneration Scheme to assist in the repair of selected buildings within the Morpeth Conservation Area. Other grants may be available for building improvement, including Home Improvement Grants and Grants under Section 10 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1974.

4.41.2 The Council may in appropriate circumstances consider utilising its powers to carry out or enforce the carrying out of "urgently necessary" works in relation to the preservation of buildings within conservation areas, by virtue of Sections 54 and 76 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (where the Secretary of State for the Environment has made an appropriate direction in accordance with Section 76 of the 1990 Act).