THE CONSERVATION STUDIO NEWSLETTER
March 2010

Hart District Council, Urban Character and Density Study

In August 2009 we were appointed by the Council to prepare a Study of their six principal settlements as part of their LDF. The Study will assist the District Council in the determination of applications for change within the principal settlements, and will also provide an evidence base to support new development plan policies relating to density, local distinctiveness and urban character. Additionally, the Study will be used to identify areas where regeneration or access improvements are needed. Following three stakeholders’ workshops and extensive survey work, we provided the Council with final drafts of the text and mapping in time for public consultation to start in January this year. The public consultation period ended on 8 March but the documents and maps can still be viewed on www.hart.gov.uk

Glastonbury in Somerset

We have recently completed a Character Appraisal for the Glastonbury Conservation Area in partnership with the Glastonbury Antiquarian Society and the Town Council, which is helping to fund the project. Glastonbury retains evidence for very early Christian settlement and the abbey ruins in the centre of the town are a popular tourist attraction. The Appraisal has identified a number of issues including the need for a new Local List, an Article 4 Direction and Shopfront Guidance. Public consultation will start in April 2010 – www.mendip.gov.uk

Urban Design Study for Shepton Mallet

In 2007, our Stage 2 submission for a Townscape Heritage Initiative for Shepton Mallet was successful and this has led to the repair of several buildings. However, there are fears that the historic town centre is suffering from the affect of new retail developments to the south. We have been asked, therefore, to carry out an Urban Design sSudy to establish a new vision that will bring the focus back to the centre. This will involve a significant overhaul of the Market Place and a coordinated approach to signage.

Lancaster

We have completed seven appraisals of village conservation areas in the Lancaster areas and now face the appraisal of the City itself. This process has started with a community workshop to consider major changes to the conservation area boundaries following the rejection of a major retail development proposal. This will soon be the subject of a formal public consultation.

Meanwhile, we are considering two new conservation area designations for Cannon Hill and Carnforth, the latter being notable for the survival of a rare group of railway structures including the 1940s concrete coaling plant.

Rossendale, Lancashire

We are about to start preparing appraisals with management proposals for eight largely rural conservation areas for Rossendale District Council, based in Rawtenstall. This follows the success a few years ago of our appraisals of 19 villages in the nearby Borough of Ribble Valley. Stakeholders’ workshops will form an integral part of the process.

Historic Building Assessment for Farnley Lodge in Cheltenham

This grade II listed building is the headquarters of the local branch of the YMCA and has been attributed to the architect J B Papworth (1775 – 1835). In November last year we prepared an assessment of the building which is being used by the owners and their architects to guide the potential redevelopment of the modern buildings which lie around the early 19th century villa.

West Cambridge and Mill Road, Cambridge Conservation Areas

We have just started Character Appraisals with a Management Plans for these two very different conservation areas. West Cambridge was developed on land on the western edge of the city which was used as water meadows and playing fields until the 1880s, when dons were finally allowed to marry, leading to a demand for large family houses close to the existing university buildings. The conservation area now includes a number of prestigious late 19th or early 20th century detached houses, but substantial university buildings, some very recent, have been incrementally added. Emerging issues include a possible Article 4 Direction and substantial extensions to the existing boundary to include late 20th century university buildings.

The Mill Road Conservation Area forms part of the much larger Cambridge Central Conservation Area and is a largely residential area of mid to late 19th century houses located between the historic core of the city and the railway line which runs along the eastern edge of the city. Issues include the preservation of economic activity along Mill Road itself and a possible Article 4 Direction.

East India Docks Conservation Plan

The import and export docks have long since been filled in and redeveloped. However, the reception basin, designed to maintain a constant water level in the docks, survives as tangible evidence of the former use. For the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, the dock basin is the last link between a linear park stretching out to Hertfordshire and the River Thames.

Before a new layer of landscaping and recreational uses is designed, we are preparing a Conservation Management Plan to ensure that full regard is had to the intrinsic value of surviving detail and the associations of the site with the East India Company and its influence on the British Empire.

Five Character Appraisals with Management Proposals for Chichester District Council

Following five previous contracts, we are just commencing the writing-up of further appraisals for Boxgrove, Halnaker, Wisborough Green, Kirdford and West Itchenor, each one involving ‘walkabouts’ with local stakeholders and Council staff. We are proposing extensive additional designations to two of these conservation areas, and a six week public consultation starts at the end of April.