Heritage Statement Unit 11, Nos
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Heritage Statement Unit 11, Nos. 23-25 Mill Street, London, SE1 2BE Acumen UK Solutions Ltd March 2021 CONTENTS Chapter: Page: 1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 The Relevant Heritage Assets 2 3.0 The Significance of the Heritage Assets 4 4.0 Impact Assessment 12 5.0 Conclusions 16 1.0 Introduction 1.1 This Heritage Statement has been prepared on behalf Acumen UK assets affected, including any contribution made by their setting. Solutions Ltd in respect to applications for planning and Listed The level of detail should be proportionate to the assets’ Building Consent for the change of use with internal alterations to importance and no more than is sufficient to understanding the form a residential dwelling (the ‘proposed development’) at Unit potential impact of the proposals on their significance. As a 11, Nos. 23-25 St. Saviour’s Dock, Mill Street, London (the minimum the relevant historic environment record should have ‘application site’). been consulted and the heritage assets assessed using appropriate expertise where necessary. Where a site on which development is 1.2 From a heritage perspective the application site forms part of a proposed includes, or has potential to include, heritage assets with grade II listed building. It is located in the St. Saviour’s Dock archaeological interest, local planning authorities should require Conservation Area and is within the settings of a cluster of listed developers to submit an appropriate desk-based assessment and, buildings that enclose the dock and the western side of Mill Street. where necessary, a field evaluation.” (NPPF Paragraph 189) 1.3 In determining the proposals Southwark Council, as the local 1.5 Given the above legislative and policy requirements Chapter 2 of planning authority (LPA), has a series of ‘statutory duties’ under the this Heritage Statement identifies the relevant heritage assets that Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 to could be affected by the proposal. Chapter 3 describes the have special regard to the desirability of preserving the listed significance of the heritage assets, proportionate to the potential buildings or their settings or any features of special architectural or impact of the proposed development. Chapter 4 provides an historic interest that they possess and also to pay special attention assessment of that potential impact and Chapter 5 makes a series to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character and of conclusions with reference to the relevant legislation and policy appearance of conservation areas. requirements. 1.4 National planning policy in respect to the conservation of the historic environment is set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (revised 2019) (NPPF) and places the following requirements on applicants: “In determining applications, local planning authorities should require an applicant to describe the significance of any heritage 1 2.0 The Relevant Heritage Assets Introduction Table 2.1: Listed buildings relevant to the application site: 2.1 The NPPF defines a heritage asset as follows: Listed Building: Grade: “A building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as Nos. 23 and 25 St. Saviour’s Wharf II having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, because of its heritage interest. It includes designated 2.5 Nos. 23 and 25 Mill Street form part of a group of listed buildings heritage assets and assets identified by the local planning authority that enclose the western side of Mill Street and the dock of St. (including local listing).” Saviour’s Wharf to the rear of Mill Street. Given the modest scale of the proposed internal alterations it is highly unlikely that the Designated Heritage Assets special interest of the adjoining listed buildings would be affected. However, for completeness the following listed buildings are referred to in Chapter 3 in respect to the group value of the 2.2 The NPPF confirms that designated heritage assets comprise, World application site: Heritage Sites, scheduled monuments, listed buildings, protected wreck sites, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields • Vogan’s Mill, No. 17 Mill Street (Grade II Listed). and conservation areas. • New Concordia Wharf, South Block, No. 27 Mill Street (Grade II 2.3 The designated heritage assets that are relevant in considering the Listed). proposed development are identified below: • New Concordia Wharf, North-east Block with Water Tower and Chimney (Grade II Listed). • New Concordia Wharf. St. Saviour’s Block Range (Grade II Listed Buildings: Listed). 2.4 Listed buildings are designated for their special architectural or Conservation Areas: historic interest in accordance with the DCMS Principles for Selection of Listed Buildings (2010). The listed building identified in Table 2.1 are relevant with respect to the proposed development: 2.6 Conservation areas are areas of special architectural or historic interest the character or appearance of which it is desirable to 2 preserve or enhance (Section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990). 2.7 The application site is located within the St. Saviour’s Dock Conservation Area. Non-Designated Heritage Assets 2.8 Historic England guidance in Decision-Taking in the Historic Environment Good Practice Advice Note 3 (2015) advises that non- designated heritage assets may be identified through the following mechanisms: “Non-designated heritage assets include those that have been identified in a Historic Environment Record, in a local plan, through local listing or during the process of considering the application.” 2.9 Southwark Council has published a Draft Local List however it does not include heritage assets in Mill Street or St. Saviour’s Wharf. Given the concentrations of designated heritage assets associated with St. Saviour’s Wharf, the tightly enclosed character of Mill Street and the extent and form of the proposed development a HER search has not been considered necessary to inform this Heritage Statement. 3 3.0 The Significance of the Heritage Assets Introduction an asset in its setting is also influenced by other environmental factors such as noise, dust and vibration from other land uses in the 3.1 The NPPF defines significance (for heritage policy) as: vicinity, and by our understanding of the historic relationship between places.” “The value of a heritage asset to this and future generations because of its heritage interest. The interest may be archaeological, 3.4 Historic England guidance on The Setting of Heritage Assets Historic architectural, artistic or historic. Significance derives not only from Environment Good Practice Advice in Planning Note 3 (Second a heritage asset’s physical presence, but also from its setting. For Edition, 2017) confirms that: World Heritage Sites, the cultural value described within each site’s Statement of Outstanding Universal Value forms part of its “Setting is not itself a heritage asset, nor a heritage designation, significance.” although land comprising a setting may itself be designated. Its importance lies in what it contributes to the significance of the 3.2 The setting of a heritage asset is defined by the NPPF as follows: heritage asset or to the ability to appreciate that significance.” “The surroundings in which a heritage asset is experienced. Its 3.5 The description of the significance of the heritage assets, provided extent is not fixed and may change as the asset and its below, is proportionate to their importance and the likely impact of surroundings evolve. Elements of a setting may make a positive or the proposed development on their significance, including their negative contribution to the significance of an asset, may affect the setting. ability to appreciate that significance or may be neutral.” 3.3 The National Planning Practice Guide (NPPG) further advises, that: “The extent and importance of setting is often expressed by reference to visual considerations. Although views of or from an asset will play an important part, the way in which we experience 4 Nos. 23-25 St. Saviour’s Wharf, Mill Street (Grade II Figure 3.1: John Rocques Plan of London (1766) Listed) (https://geo.southwark.gov.uk) Special Architectural and Historic Interest 3.6 Unit 11 occupies part of the 1st Floor of the former warehouse, which the list entry describes as follows: “Warehouse, now residential and business units. C. 1860. Stock brick with plain parapet with copying. 6 storeys, symmetrical 9-bay front with 3 hatch ranks (now balconies) with yellow bull-nosed reveals. Entranceways either side of central hatch rank on ground floor have segmental, gauged-brick arches and yellow bull-nosed reveals. Pairs of windows each side of hatch ranks with segmental, gauged-brick arches. 5th floor has 2 cast-iron pivot hoists with arched braces and circular bracing to spandrels. Drain pipes slightly recessed. Interior: rebuilt to include internal courtyards; some Figure 3.2: St. Saviour’s Dock (1827) (https://www.british-history original beams and cast-iron columns. Good sequence with .ac.uk) adjoining New Concordia Wharf buildings and group value with a range of wharf buildings in Mill Street.” 3.7 The mouth of the River Neckinger first provided access to the C11th Bermondsey Abbey and was later named St. Saviour’s Dock. The Conservation Area Appraisal (Southwark Council, 2003) confirms that it was fully enclosed with buildings by the beginning of the C17th. The street pattern of Shad Thames and Mill Street was identifiable on John Rocques Plans of London during the mid C18th and the dock was enclosed by an organic late Medieval townscape. 5 Figure 3.3: Greenwood’s Map of London of 1830 illustrates a series Figure 3.4: Ordnance Survey Map (1872) (1:2,500) of deep blocks between Mill Street and St. Saviour’s Dock 3.9 Following the development of the adjoining warehouses the 3.8 The townscape enclosing the western side of Mill Street was western side of Mill Street remained largely unchanged.