UP-DATED DESIGN and ACCESS STATEMENT Stoneywell
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UP-DATED DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT Stoneywell, Ulverscroft, Leicestershire A. Application under Section 73 of the Planning Acts to vary conditions 8 and 9 of planning permission P/13/0607/2, amounting to a minor material amendment for the change of use of Stoneywell from residential to a visitor attraction and associated works to convert/alter the stables to provide visitor facilities B. Amended Listed Building Consent application for the conversion of the stables 1. Introduction 1.1 The National Trust has made arrangements to acquire Stoneywell and to open it to the public. The National Trust recognises that the very special character of the property and of its immediate vicinity require that very particular care is taken in dealing with all aspects of the planning and listed building applications. 1.2 This Design and Access Statement is supported by related documents dealing in greater detail with relevant considerations, in particular a Heritage Impact Statement and an up-dated Bat Report. 1.3 Other documents submitted with Planning Application P/13/0607/2 continue to be applicable as they are not affected by the changes now proposed. Specifically these are: . Transport Assessment (including Appendices and Supplementary Transport & Case Study Notes) . Car park location options report . Planning Statement . Community Engagement Statement . Visitor Management Statement . Ecological information relating to Stoneywell Wood and Corner Field 1 of 16 Stoneywell: Up-dated Design and Access Statement December 2013 1.4 The modest changes proposed in the current submissions are solely as a result of the Trust’s desire to reduce the nature and extent of the interventions (as approved) to the Stables building. It is considered that the amended proposals now brought forward propose, as demonstrated in the Heritage Statement, a more sensitive conversion scheme, but equally one that does not result in any other material adverse impacts compared with the approved proposals. 1.5 It is noted that the approved proposals remain capable of implementation and if for any reason the amended (and in our view improved) proposals are not found to be acceptable then the fallback position, as provided by the existing approvals, would be implemented. 2 of 16 Stoneywell: Up-dated Design and Access Statement December 2013 2. Context 2.1 Stoneywell consists of three listed buildings, two of which are the concern of the overall proposals1. The Cottage itself is listed grade II* (List Entry No. 1361102) and the coach house and stables, adjoining Polly Botts Lane, is listed grade II (List Entry No. 1178370). These properties have remained in the Gimson family since their original construction in 1899 and have been opened to the public on an occasional basis for many years. 2.2 The gardens to the Cottage are extensive and form a very important part of the setting for the listed buildings. They are of a very unusual design, centred around a large outcrop of Charnwood Forest rock, from which the gardens appear to have grown organically. Their character, semi-wild around the rock and at the coach house and stables, becomes more formal towards the Cottage, giving the cottage a remarkable connection with its landscape. The ‘reveal’ of Stoneywell Cottage from the curved path around the rock outcrop is a delightful surprise and key significance of the site. 2.3 Ernest Gimson, the architect of Stoneywell, has been described by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as ‘the greatest of the English artist-craftsmen’. Ernest designed a series of summer cottages for his family in the Charnwood Forest, north-west of Leicester, a rugged and remote area, using local materials. The first of these was a pair of cottages for the landowner James Bilson. Stoneywell followed in 1898 for his brother Sydney Ansell Gimson (1860-1938), then Lea Cottage for his brother Josiah Mentor Gimson (1851-1925) in 1899. Rockyfield was built in 1908 for his sister Margaret Gimson (1871-1967). 2.4 Stoneywell Cottage is celebrated as one of the most extreme examples of the Arts and Crafts approach to site-specific design. The plan is a cranked Z shape, following the contours of the site (but also referencing The Old Post Office, Tintagel, a medieval house repaired by Detmar Blow in 1896 on behalf of the SPAB, and now a property of the National Trust). Local rubble stone was used for the walls and originally thatch was used for the roof. Gimson’s design makes Stoneywell Cottage a building of national and international importance to the Arts and Crafts movement. 2.5 Stoneywell is remarkable in that the Cottage itself remains virtually unaltered and its important Arts and Crafts contents, in particular the contemporary furniture, are equally complete. These two factors make it an admirable property to open to the public. 1 The third is Pump House (Ref 1074638), Grade II Listed, situated on the boundary with Lea Cottage and unaffected by the current proposals. 3 of 16 Stoneywell: Up-dated Design and Access Statement December 2013 2.6 Stoneywell is situated in a very large plot of land, with Stoneywell Wood, an area of ancient woodland (designated as a SSSI2) to the rear. This property is one of a small settlement of individually designed houses, set in large plots established a century or so ago, taking advantage of the Charnwood Forest countryside. Although some of these properties have been altered, the area retains much of its original character. Properties immediately adjoining Stoneywell, on the north side of Polly Botts Lane, are likewise large properties with large gardens. 2.7 These adjacent dwellings have gardens which adjoin Stoneywell and this is a factor which has been taken into account in designing and managing the Stoneywell property, so as to minimise the impact on residential amenity. 2.8 Surveys at Stoneywell indicate use of the stables block by two species of bat in particular – pipistrelle and brown long-eared bats. The amended proposals fully take into account the requirements relating to protected species and necessary mitigation measures will be pursued in accordance with national and local requirements. 3. Design 3.1 The buildings on the Stoneywell site form two groups – the Cottage itself, set well into the site, and the coach house and stable block adjoining Polly Botts Lane. The Cottage 3.2 No physical changes are proposed for the Cottage. The amended plans do not alter the permission already given for a change of use to allow it to be opened to the public by the National Trust. The coach house and Stable block 3.3 The only built development proposed on the Stoneywell site is at the coach house and stable block, as part of the conversion works to form a visitor welcome/exhibition area, toilets, and small tearoom. Most of this would be internal, but there would be external work to the building with the construction of small ramps. In addition a vehicle turning area would be created, with a section of wall relocated, and a small treatment plant to serve the stables building would be installed adjacent to this. 3.4 The works are summarised below and are described in more detail in the accompanying Heritage Impact Statement and related plans. 2 The SSSI’s main habitat is categorised by Natural England as “Broadleaved, mixed and yew woodland” and is in “favourable” condition (NE Condition Report 1-3-13). 4 of 16 Stoneywell: Up-dated Design and Access Statement December 2013 3.5 Internally, the changes proposed would be: a) The formation of the toilets which would require relocation of a screen (moved forward by about 0.7 m.) to provide sufficient depth to the cubicles and related works – these works would be reversible and are as previously approved; b) Removal of a short section of internal wall, about 1.2 m in length to allow the formation of a 0.85m wide opening, to provide access between the tea room and the servery; c) The provision of seating and tables within the tearoom, these works would also be entirely reversible; and d) Works to convert the garage area to a small staff office, these would not impact upon the existing external doors or their original hinges and would also be largely reversible; Several works previously proposed and approved would no longer be necessary, in particular: • Insulation/boarding work within the stable; • Cutting the original elm panel wall to create a new doorway between the stable and the laundry room; • Replacing the external wooden staircase; and • Insulation/boarding work to convert the attic to an office. 3.6 Externally, the works proposed would be: a) the creation of a vehicle turning/parking bay for the shuttle vehicle ferrying people from and to the car park area (which involves the removal and re-positioning of a small part of the stone wall that runs into the site on the eastern side of the access to the lane, with reconstruction using the resulting materials and supplemented with matching materials), this has already been agreed as part of the existing approvals; b) a small ramp to the entrance to provide access for visitors; this has already been agreed as part of the existing approvals; c) the installation of a small treatment plant in the area behind the new vehicle turning/parking bay, this has already been agreed as part of the existing approvals; d) a short path to the rear of the Stables to provide access to the tea room. This does not currently have permission. 5 of 16 Stoneywell: Up-dated Design and Access Statement December 2013 3.7 Amount of development. The development primarily consists of the change of use of existing land and buildings.