Union Street Conservation Area Appraisal June 2007 Union Street Conservation Area Appraisal : 2007 Belmont Street market ‘The Ordnance Survey mapping in this publication is provided by Aberdeen City Council under licence from Ordnance Survey in order to fulfil its public function as a planning authority. Persons viewing this mapping should contact Ordnance Survey Copyright for advice where they wish to licence Ordnance Survey mapping for their own use.’ 2 Union Street Conservation Area Appraisal : 2007 Union Street Conservation Area Appraisal : 2007 Contents 1. Introduction & Purpose 5 1.1 Conservation Areas 5 1.2 The Purpose of this Document 5 1.3 Union Street Conservation Area 6 2. Historical Development 7 2.1 Early Settlement 7 2.2 Medieval Street Pattern 8 2.3 Urbanisation 8 2.4 Development of Union Street 8 2.5 Twentieth Century to Present Day 10 3. Townscape Analysis - The components of Character 11 3.1 Setting 11 3.2 Topography & Street Pattern 11 3.3 Buildings Styles 12 3.4 Listed Buildings 15 3.5 Building Materials 16 3.6 Shopfronts 16 3.7 Trees & Landscaping 17 3.8 Activity & Movement 18 3.9 Public Realm 19 3.10 Negative Features 20 4. Character Areas 22 4.1 Union Street 22 4.2 King Street 24 4.3 Castlegate & Castlehill 26 4.4 Marischal Street & Regent Quay 26 4.5 Bath Street & Bridge Place 27 4.6 Broad Street 27 4.7 St Nicholas Kirk 27 4.8 Denburn Valley 28 4.9 Belmont Street 29 4.10 The Green & South Side 30 4.11 Golden Square 31 5. Conservation Strategy 32 5.1 Development & Enhancement Opportunities 32 5.2 Boundary Refinement 34 5.3 Planning Policy 36 5.4 Supplementary Planning Guidance 37 5.5 Article 4 Direction 38 5.6 Grants & Funding 38 5.7 Monitoring & Review 39 5.8 Further Advice 40 6. Appendix and Acknowledgements 41 Old Aberdeen Rosemount / Westburn Union Street Albyn Place / Rubislaw Footdee BonAcord Crescent Crown Street Marine Terrace Great Western Road Ferryhill Lower Deeside / Pitfodels Cove Bay c Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Aberdeen City Council 100023401 2007 The City of Aberdeen Conservation Areas 2007 Union Street Conservation Area Appraisal : 2007 Introduction & Purpose 1 INTRODUCTION & PURPOSE 1.1 Conservation Areas 1.2 The Purpose of this Document Section 61 of the Town and Country Planning (Listed The purpose of conservation area appraisal is: Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act • to justify the designation of the conservation 1997 describes conservation areas as….”areas of area and review the exiting boundaries; special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve • to identify important characteristics of the area or enhance”. Each local authority is required to in terms of townscape, architecture and history; determine which parts of its area are of special • to identify important issues that affect the architectural or historic interest and designate these conservation area; areas as conservation areas in order that their character can be protected. Conservation areas • to identify opportunities for development and FRQWULEXWHVLJQL¿FDQWO\WRRXUKHULWDJH The historic enhancement schemes; HQYLURQPHQWKHOSVWRGH¿QHDVHQVHRISODFHDQG • to encourage interest and participation in provides a context for everyday life. Its appreciation conservation issues amongst people living and and conservation fosters distinctiveness and working in conservation areas; and contributes to creating an identity at local, regional and in some cases national level. • to produce a useful tool in conservation area management. The designation of a conservation area enables local authorities to identify and promote opportunities for An appraisal will also be helpful in securing GHYHORSPHQWDVZHOODVDUHDVWKDWZRXOGEHQH¿WIURP partnership funding through; for example, a enhancement schemes. Designation also provides Townscape Heritage Initiative for projects within an opportunity for public consultation on the various conservation areas.1 National Planning Policy land use issues affecting conservation areas and Guideline (NPPG) 18 Planning and the Historic their preparation can assist planning authorities in Environment, recommends that conservation area the formulation, monitoring and evaluation of local character appraisals can assist planning authorities plan policies. in carrying out their development planning and development control functions in relation to the Chapter 3 of the Finalised Aberdeen Local Plan historic environment.2 Green Spaces New Places recognises that each conservation area is different and has its own The Union Street Conservation Area Appraisal is distinctive character. In addition to policies that apply a lengthy document due to the size of the area it to all of the City‘s conservation areas there should be covers and the historic importance of the buildings policy and guidance that derives from the particular and streets within it. Section 2 details the historical circumstances of individual conservation areas. development of the conservation area highlighting It is the intention of the City Council to produce a key stages in its development. Section 3 Townscape conservation area appraisal for each conservation Analysis, describes the components that make area. up the character of the conservation area whilst 6HFWLRQGHVFULEHVDQGDQDO\VHVWKHVSHFL¿F character areas that form part of the wider Union Street Conservation Area. Section 5 presents the conservation area strategy, which includes the development and enhancement opportunities within the area, proposed boundary alterations, planning policy, Article 4 Directions, grants and funding as well as proposals for the monitoring and review process. 1 NPPG 18, Paragraph 33 2 NPPG 18, Paragraph 28 Union Street Conservation Area Appraisal : 2007 5 6 Union Street Conservation Area Appraisal : 2007 1.3 Union Street Conservation Area The conservation area comprises the original The draft Union Street Conservation Area Appraisal settlement area of ‘New Aberdeen’ on the banks of was published in January 2007 for a 6-week public the River Dee, parts of which are still evident today at consultation exercise. As part of the appraisal it was the main port area and the original settlement around proposed to extend the conservation area boundary St Katherine’s Hill. The conservation area also in four areas and delete part of the conservation includes one of the most important examples of early area. These changes are detailed in section 5.2 nineteenth century planned streets in Scotland with and the changes have been incorporated in to the the development of Union Bridge and Union Street. map below which shows the new conservation area The street is a product of the engineering feats boundary. of the early nineteenth century in its construction and contains a high proportion of the City’s most The Union Street Conservation Area was designated important and impressive buildings, many of which in 1968 by the Town Council in response to the are listed. The Union Street Conservation Area Civic Amenities Act of 1967, which placed greater contains more Category A listed buildings than any emphasis on the protection of historic areas. It other conservation area in Aberdeen. Union Street ZDVRQHRI¿YHFRQVHUYDWLRQDUHDVGHVLJQDWHG is the principal Street in Aberdeen and functions in Aberdeen at this time. There are currently 11 as the City’s commercial and historic heart. The designated conservation areas in Aberdeen. The conservation area boundary includes the entire Union Street Conservation Area was designated length of Union Street as well as areas of land to the as Outstanding in 1978 making buildings, whether north and south that are linked to Union Street by listed or not, within the conservation area, eligible for their physical and historic connections. Historic Scotland grant assistance. The Union Street Conservation Area is worthy of protection because Union Street continues to function as the heart of of the historical, physical, cultural, architectural the City and as such there are strong commercial DQGHFRQRPLFVLJQL¿FDQFHWRWKH&LW\RIWKHDUHD pressures on the city centre. The impact these it covers. The conservaton area continues to face pressures have on the built fabric of the area need the continued pressures of balancing the often to be effectively managed without detriment to the competing interests of commercial development and character of the conservation area. The Union Street conservation area management. Conservation Area is arguably the most valuable conservation area in Aberdeen because of its historic VLJQL¿FDQFHDQGUROHIURPEHLQJWKH¿UVWVHWWOHG area on the banks of the River Dee to becoming the WKULYLQJKHDUWRIDWZHQW\¿UVWFHQWXU\FLWy. 2007 Union Street Conservation Area King Street St Nicholas Kirk & Graveyard Castlegate Golden Square The Green Union street c Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Aberdeen City Council 100023401 2006 Union Street Conservation Area Appraisal : 2007 7 Historical Development 2 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT HISTORICAL Aberdeen is situated on the Scottish east coast settlement of Aberdeen probably clustered at the approximately 70 miles north of Dundee. The City west base of St Katherine’s Hill. The defensive was originally settled in two areas; Old Aberdeen on position of ‘New’ Aberdeen was aided by natural the banks of the River Don to the north and ‘New’ landforms such as the sea to the east and south, Aberdeen on the banks of the River Dee to the south. a loch to the north-west and surrounding marshy The Union Street Conservation Area incorporates the areas.