Heritage Statement MOLA March 2020 Harrow Carparks Project Canons Park HA8 6RN Heritage Statement www.mola.org.uk © MOLA Mortimer Wheeler House, 46 Eagle Wharf Road, London N1 7ED tel 0207 410 2200 fax 0207 410 2201 email:[email protected] Museum of London Archaeology is a company limited by guarantee Registered in England and Wales Company registration number 07751831 Charity registration number 1143574 Registered office Mortimer Wheeler House, 46 Eagle Wharf Road, London N1 7ED Harrow Carparks Project Canons Park HA8 6RN Heritage Statement NGR 517 637:192 596 Sign-off history issue issue date prepared by reviewed by approved by reason for issue no. 1 01/08/2019 Alicia Vickers Samuel Abelman Chris Thomas Preliminary issue Assistant Project Project Manager— Director Heritage Manager—Built Heritage Built Heritage 4 02/12/2019 Alicia Vickers Samuel Abelman Samuel Abelman Revised Assistant Project Project Manager— Project Manager— Manager—Built Heritage Built Heritage Built Heritage 5 18/12/2019 Alicia Vickers Samuel Abelman Samuel Abelman Revised Assistant Project Project Manager— Project Manager— Manager—Built Heritage Built Heritage Built Heritage 6 27/02/2020 Alicia Vickers Samuel Abelman Samuel Abelman Final Assistant Project Project Manager— Project Manager— Manager—Built Heritage Built Heritage Built Heritage PO code: P19-249 www.mola.org.uk © MOLA Mortimer Wheeler House, 46 Eagle Wharf Road, London N1 7ED tel 0207 410 2200 fax 0207 410 2201 email:[email protected] Museum of London Archaeology is a company limited by guarantee Registered in England and Wales Company registration number 07751831 Charity registration number 1143574 Registered office Mortimer Wheeler House, 46 Eagle Wharf Road, London N1 7ED Contents Executive summary 1 1 Introduction 5 1.1 Origin and scope of the report 5 1.2 Heritage assets 5 1.3 Aims and objectives 5 2 Methodology and sources consulted 6 2.1 Baseline 6 2.2 Significance 6 2.3 Impact 7 2.4 Conclusions and Recommendations 7 3 Policy Baseline 8 3.1 Introduction 8 3.2 Statutory Protection 8 3.3 National Planning Policy Framework 8 3.4 Greater London Regional Policy 10 3.5 Local Planning Policy (Harrow Council) 12 4 Built Heritage Baseline 15 4.1 History of the subject site 15 4.2 Site description 17 4.3 Description of setting under General Planning Advice 3 (GPA3) guidelines 20 4.4 Description of individual heritage assets within Canons Park 23 5 Statement of Significance 26 5.1 Introduction 26 5.2 Significance Criteria 26 5.3 The subject site 27 5.4 Conservation area 27 5.5 Registered Park & Garden 27 6 Proposed Development 28 6.1 Proposal 28 7 Heritage impact 29 7.1 Discussion of heritage impact 29 7.2 Discussion of relevant heritage views 30 7.3 Potential cumulative impact 33 8 Conclusions and Recommendations 34 8.1 Conclusions 34 8.2 Recommendations 34 9 Bibliography 35 9.1 Published and documentary sources 35 9.2 Other Sources 35 Heritage Statement © MOLA 2020 i Figures Cover: Proposal view (source: Karakusevic Carson Architects, February 2020) Fig 1 Site location. Fig 2 Built heritage context. Fig 3 Ordnance Survey 1st edition 25": mile map of 1866 (not to scale). Fig 4 Ordnance Survey 1:2500 scale map of 1935 (not to scale). Fig 5 Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 scale map of 1962 (not to scale). Fig 6 Significant elements of Canons Park Estate Conservation Area (shown in white on the map) (Source: Harrow Council). Fig 7 Final CGI showing proposed development and enhancements to Donnefield Avenue (Source: Karakusevic Carson Architects, February 2020). Fig 8 Viewpoint locations (Source: Landscape Visual). Fig 9 View 02–Canons Park near the southern entrance from Whitchurch Lane (Source: Landscape Visual). Fig 10 View 03–From Canons Park southern area (Source: Landscape Visual). Fig 11 View 05–View from Canons Park central amenity parkland area (Source: Landscape Visual). Fig 12 View 08–View from Canons Park near the walled garden (Source: Landscape Visual). Note: site outlines may appear differently on some figures owing to distortions in historic maps. North is approximate on early maps. Heritage Statement © MOLA 2020 ii Executive summary CBRE Ltd has commissioned MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology), on behalf of the applicant, to carry out a heritage statement in advance of proposed development for the Harrow Carparks Project (Canons Park), in the London Borough of Harrow. The scheme comprises redevelopment of the site for new residential development and public realm improvements. The site falls under the jurisdiction of Harrow Council. The subject site comprises a carpark adjacent to Canons Park Underground Station. The station is on the north side of Whitchurch Lane. The site runs along the east of the railway. A small portion (the northern edge) of the subject site sits within the Canons Park Conservation Area (CA). The majority of the site is not located within the conservation area. The site is located on the edge of Canons Park, a Grade II listed Registered Park and Garden (List entry: 1001394). There are a number of designated assets within the park, the closest designated asset is the Grade I listed Church of St Lawrence, approximately 360m east/south-east of the site boundary. The main building in the park is the Grade II former Canons House (now North London Collegiate School). The Canons Park Estate Conservation Area (CA) is an outstanding area for its landscaping, openness and high-quality architecture. This is due to the park and much of the wider area passing from medieval origins to the early 20th century as one estate. The Grade II listed manor house was built in 1747 on the foundations of the Jacobean mansion and formed the estate centrepiece. It is now owned by the North London Collegiate School (NLCS). The contemporary landscape covers much of the conservation area and includes remains of the landscape designed by William Kent, Humphrey Repton and Charles Mellows, now designated as a registered park and garden and includes numerous listed features such as the George V memorial garden and a garden temple. The proposal will comprise the construction of up to 118 residential units, across three apartment buildings of six storeys with a seventh storey set back. This desk-based study assesses the possible impacts of the proposed development on built heritage assets in and around the site. Although below ground heritage assets (historic structures) are not discussed in detail, they have been noted where they assist in the archaeological interpretation of the site. A separate Archaeological Assessment has been undertaken by MOLA and accompanies this planning application. This report has the following findings: The subject site comprises a strip of land alongside the railway for proposed redevelopment. The site is presently car-parking. It makes no contribution to the setting of Canons Park or the Canons Park Conservation Area. The following is noted in terms of the proposed development: • The proposed development will provide a high quality and responsive development to the site’s heritage context. It is suitably distanced from key buildings, features and elements within the park (primarily the former Canons Park Mansion and key route from Canons Drive); whose individual significance and setting will be wholly conserved by the proposed development. • The proposed development will occur on one edge of Canons Park only, which has previously been subject to low-medium scale development. The proposed development on this one edge of the park will be set in the backdrop of intervening built and landscape form and screened by trees. The proposed development will therefore not affect the overall sense of ‘openness’ and areas of seclusion across the park. • The proposed development will have minor impact on an identified panorama view only, but this view is of ‘lesser significance’ in the park as it has previously been impacted by the identified existing fence, hedge and built form. Other more significant direct long and short distance views across the park will be unaffected. • The proposed development is responsive to the established character of the station and the surrounding conservation area. • The proposed development is considered likely to have ‘less than substantial harm’ to the setting of Canons Park (and the Canons Park Conservation Area), due to the scale of the Heritage Statement © MOLA 2020 1 proposed development (with the present carpark currently contributing to openness); however, the harm is at the lower end of the threshold and outweighed by the significant public benefits of the proposal. The sympathetic and high-quality design response of the proposed development (as outlined within this report) should also be considered, together with the provision of significant public realm enhancements, including an improved entrance and access to the park from Donnefield Avenue, which assists to mitigate the level of harm. • There will be no heritage impact on the significance and setting of identified individually listed buildings and landscape elements within the park. The public benefits of the proposal have been summarised below and are further detailed in the accompanying planning documentation: • The delivery of 118 affordable housing unit at a policy compliant mix, providing London affordable rent and shared ownership properties; • The delivery of a circa 70 space cycle hub; • High quality public realm improvements through pocket parks and landscaping; and • Enhancement of the entrance to Canons Park along Donnefield Avenue (a key route to the Park) through an improved public realm. Heritage Statement © MOLA 2020 2 Heritage Statement © MOLA 2020 3 Heritage Statement © MOLA 2020 4 1 Introduction 1.1 Origin and scope of the report 1.1.1 CBRE Ltd has commissioned MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) to carry out a heritage statement in advance of proposed development for the Harrow Carparks Project (Canons Park), in the London Borough of Harrow (National Grid Reference: 518 114:191 441) Fig 1.