St Austell Conservation Area Character
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St Austell Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Management Plan March 2013 Telephone: 0300 1234 100 www.cornwall.gov.uk This Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan was endorsed by Cornwall Council on 15 March 2013 as a material consideration for land use planning purposes. Recommended changes to the boundaries of the Conservation Area, as set out within this document, were authorised by Cornwall Council and also came into effect on 15 March 2013. St Austell Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan Le Page Architects Ltd PO Box 352 Saltash Cornwall PL12 9AH Tel: 01752 849880 Fax: 01752 840868 ST AUSTELL CONSERVATION AREA APPRAISAL AND MANAGEMENT PLAN LIST OF CONTENTS Executive Summary i 1.0 Introduction 1 1.10 Summary of Character, What Makes St Austell a Special Place 3 1.17 Background to the Study, Scope and Structure of the Appraisal 5 2.0 Planning and Regeneration Context 7 2.1 National Planning Policy - Existing 7 2.2 Local Planning Policy: Existing 9 2.3 Local Planning Policy: Proposed 10 2.4 Regeneration Context 12 Part One: Appraisal 3.0 Influences on the Historic Development of St Austell 14 3.1 Location and Setting 14 3.2 Geology, Topography and Landscape 14 3.3 Historical Development 17 3.4 Influence of Mining, Quarrying and China Clay in St Austell 27 4.0 Character Analysis 32 4.1 Settlement Form and Growth 32 4.2 Character Areas 34 4.3 Building Types, Age, Architectural Detailing and Materials 50 4.4 Listed Buildings and Unlisted Buildings of Merit 62 4.5 Negative and Neutral Buildings 65 4.6 Parks, Greenspace and Trees 65 4.7 Public Realm 74 4.8 Key Vistas, Views and Landmarks 77 5.0 Issues and Opportunities 84 5.1 Boundary of the Conservation Area 86 5.2 Extent of Loss, Intrusion and Damage 86 5.3 Gap/opportunity sites 86 5.4 Public realm 89 Part Two: Management Plan/Strategy 6.0 Introduction 92 6.1 The purpose of a Management Plan 92 7.0 SWOT ANALYSIS –Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities 94 and Threats 7.1 Introduction 94 7.2 Strengths 94 7.3 Weaknesses 96 7.4 Opportunities 97 7.5 Threats 99 8.0 Protection 101 8.1 Introduction 101 8.2 Specific Protection 101 8.2.1 Archaeology and Historic Settlements 101 8.2.2 Control over Demolition 102 8.2.3 Restriction of Permitted Development Rights 102 8.2.4 Locally-listed buildings 103 8.2.5 Important Unlisted buildings and assets. 103 8.2.6 Sustainability and Upgrading Buildings in a Conservation Area 104 8.2.7 Article 4 Directions 105 8.2.8 Repair Notices/Urgent Works Notices/Section 215 notices 106 8.2.9 Protection of Trees in Conservation Areas 106 8.2.10 Buildings at Risk – Local Buildings 107 8.2.11 Landmark buildings and views 108 9.0 Enhancement 109 9.1 General Guidance 109 9.2 Design Principles 110 9.3 Enhancement Actions 116 9.4 Enhancement to Parks, Greenspace and Trees 126 10.0 Aims, Actions and Implementations of The Management 135 Plan 10.1 Management Plan Aims and Actions 135 10.2 Regeneration Actions 140 10.3 Funding, Resourcing and Partnerships 145 10.4 The Adoption of the Appraisal and Management Plan 149 11.0 Acknowledgements and Bibliography 152 11.1 Acknowledgements and Thanks 152 11.2 Bibliography 152 Appendix l Community Involvement and Public Consultation Appendix ll Listed Buildings/Structures within Proposed Conservation Area Appendix lll Significant People, Places and Events associated with St Austell List of Maps/Plans and illustrations included in Document • Map No 1, showing former and proposed Conservation Area boundary • Map No 2, Listed Buildings, other Historic Buildings and those which add positive contribution, and historic sites with archaeological potential • Map No 3, Opportunity/gap sites, neutral and negative buildings, Public Realm sites for Improvement • Map No 4, Listed Buildings, and unlisted buildings of merit • Map No 5, Public/Semi-Public greenspace and public pedestrian/cycle ways • Map No 6, Key views/vistas and landmark buildings • Map No 7, Character areas • Map No 8, Settlement Growth • Map No 9, Extract from 1842 Tithe Map • Map No 10, Historic Map 1889 • Map No 11, Historic Map 1907-08 • Map No 12, Historic Map 1938 • Illustration of massing and scale of two sample opportunity sites • Illustration of potential improvements to a typical historic shop-front Executive Summary This St Austell Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan has been produced for Cornwall Council and St Austell Town Council by Le Page Architects Ltd. The main purpose of the document is to clearly identify what it is about the character and appearance of the Conservation Area that should be preserved or enhanced. It also puts forward proposals for its management for the future, highlighting particular issues and threats to the character of the Conservation Area, and therefore potential actions for improvement. As part of that process, the existing Conservation Area boundary was re- assessed and recommendations for substantial extensions have been proposed. This document generally follows the format recommended by English Heritage in their 2011 document: ‘Understanding Place: Conservation Area Designation, Appraisal and Management’. The document begins with an Introduction and Policy background sections. It then identifies the special interest of the Conservation Area and the issues that threaten those special qualities through Part 1: The Character Appraisal. Part 2: The Management Plan - provides guidelines to prevent harm and achieve enhancement. Community involvement was undertaken through stakeholder and public consultation, together with interviews with local business leaders, and informal on-street dialogue with residents. This Appraisal is not intended to be comprehensive and omission of any particular feature or space should not be taken to imply that it is of no interest. The Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan will be used for several purposes: • To identify and justify the special character of the area. • To recognise elements that are worthy of retention and enhancement. • To recognise elements, which detract from the character of St Austell. • To act as a framework for the control of development. • To outline proposals / ideas for enhancement and development opportunities. • To be used to support bids for resources for conservation enhancement work. • To consider options for strengthening design controls. i 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Conservation Areas are Area retains its overall character and designated by Local Planning appearance whilst positively shaping Authorities as a means of recognising and influencing future change and the importance of the quality of an development. area as a whole, as well as protecting individual buildings. The designation 1.4 St Austell Conservation Area is of a Conservation Area sets a an area of special architectural and framework for the preservation and historic interest. enhancement of an area’s character and appearance, and is a mechanism to control and manage change. Conservation Areas are not designated to stop development. 1.2 The purpose of a Conservation Area appraisal is to review the View to viaduct and Woodland Row existing area and its boundary, defining and describing what is The original Conservation Area was important about its historic character designated in 1967 centring on the and appearance, a process which Church and extended in 1976. includes researching the area’s historical development, carrying out a detailed townscape analysis and preparing a character assessment. 1.3 Conservation management plans have been developed as tools to help with ideas and proposals of how to conserve and manage an area Tregonissey House – Market Street effectively for future generations. Policies and actions are developed However it was limited only to Fore within the management plan, which Street, the Church and Market House will ensure that the Conservation 1 area, omitting some important • Identify and justify the special features such as the medieval radial character of the area. street patterns, the late 19th/early • Identify elements that are worthy 20th century buildings redolent of the of retention or enhancement. boom time for St Austell, and the • Identify elements that detract from significance of the industrial valley. the character. • Act as a framework for development management. • Inform proposals to be put forward for enhancement and development opportunities. • Consider options for securing good design. • Consider the future of the area through the Management Plan. Vista from the Bus station looking south over townscape 1.6 The special character of the area and the possibilities for This wider area contains numerous improvement have been identified. listed and unlisted historic buildings, The document will be used by many attractive walls and mature Cornwall Council as guidance for trees together with pockets of poor assessing development proposals that townscape quality that need to be affect the area, and by those addressed. proposing new development so that they may gain a greater understanding of the character of the area, as an integral consideration in the preparation of their proposals. 1.7 This appraisal is not intended to be comprehensive and omission of Trenance Mill in Blowing House Lane any particular building, feature or space should not be taken to imply 1.5 The purpose of this document that it is of no special interest. is to: 2 1.8 The St Austell Conservation and the St Austell River (or Vinnick Area Appraisal and Management Plan River) known as the White River has been funded by St Austell Town catchment Joining within the Council and Cornwall Council. township they run due south into the sea at Pentewan. The river valleys, 1.9 Boundary Alterations - During enhanced by their covering of mature the course of preparing the appraisal, and varied treescape, form a striking amendments to the boundary have backdrop to the town.