ARDSTONE UK REGIONAL OFFICE FUND

VICTORIA SQUARE HOUSE VICTORIA SQUARE BIRMINGHAM

HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SITE’S EVOLUTION AND SIGNIFICANCE

JUNE 2014

VICTORIA SQUARE HOUSE HISTORIC RESEARCH

CONTENTS

Section Page No. 1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 Historic development of the site and Victoria Square 2 3.0 Victoria Square House 24 4.0 Planning History 52 5.0 Sources 57

APPENDICES 1 Victoria Square House listed building entry 2 Colmore Row Conservation Area designation report

Date: 21 July 2014 Location: P:\CURRENTJOBS\PD9532 Victoria Square House Birmingham\Pinsent and Masons Dossier\140612 - ME Historic Report\140721 Site and Building History.doc

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 This report has been prepared by Montagu Evans. It provides a summary of the historical development of Victoria Square House based on documentary research and offers some observations on the significance of the building and its setting.

1.2 The research involved consulting documents held by Birmingham City archives and Birmingham City Library. The national Post Office archive at The National Archive was also visited to view the original drawings of the building. Historic planning applications held by Birmingham City Council were also viewed. These latter documents were only available on microfiche; however, copies of plans and drawings were printed. Regrettably, the quality of these images is poor.

1.3 In addition, research also considered web-based and printed sources. Further details are provided in section 5.0.

1.4 The brief for the research comprised:

 History of Victoria Square House;  Historic evidence of the foyer;  Images of entrance doors and their use;  Images of window decoration details;  Oversight of the development of Victoria Square and the General Post Office’s relationship with the surrounding buildings, and  Oversight of the stages of the Square’s use/movement.

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2.0 HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE AND VICTORIA SQUARE

2.1 Westley’s map of 1731 is the earliest extant map of Birmingham and shows the extent of Birmingham at that time (Figure 2.1). During the first part of the 18th century, development was restricted mainly to two areas and land which became available changed hands frequently in a rising market. The two areas of main development were a small area owned by Richard Smallbrook near to St Martin’s Church – hence Smallbrook Street but since demolished. The second area was a quadrilateral bounded, in the 1960s, by Steelhouse Lane, Bull Street, Dale End, and Stafford Street.

Figure 2.1: Westley’s plan of Birmingham, 1731

2.2 In the early part of the 19th century, the centre of Birmingham was still around the area now known as the Bull Ring, although by then there were signs that it was to be replaced as the town's centre by a site further north, nearer to the canal basins and on land less cluttered with valuable buildings. The Town Hall (opened 1834) was built at the west end of Ann Street (now Colmore Row), and around it other public buildings have been grouped, notably the Council House (opened 1879) and the Civic Centre (begun 1938) (Victoria County History – Warwickshire, hereafter “VCH”). The Bull Ring retained and enlarged its function as a market.

2.3 The coming of the railways in the 19th century had a major impact on the development of the City. Stations at Curzon Street and Lawley Street were constructed to the east, on the periphery of the City core. These were, however, soon considered inconvenient, and, following the formation of the London and North Western Railway

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a central ‘New Street Station’ was constructed in 1854. The station displaced a large part of the central population and at the same time allowed commuters to arrive at the heart of the City. The location of the station, immediately south of the site, meant that the volume of pedestrian flow and traffic grew considerably over this period (VCH).

2.4 Following the construction of the railways, the central area was then redeveloped with slum clearances in the Colmore Row and New Street areas:

“several old and squalid streets were cleared to make space for the new public buildings around Victoria Square. The most extensive destruction of old buildings at this period was that which resulted from the building of Corporation Street, the first part of which was opened in 1879; it was driven straight through one of the oldest and least healthy parts of the town.” (VCH)

2.5 The Birmingham Improvement Act of 1851 transferred to the corporation the functions of the street commissioners for Deritend and Bordesley and for Duddeston and Nechells, and of the parish officers of Edgbaston, and empowered the corporation to raise money and carry out certain works of improvement (VCH). A vociferous group in the council, however, favoured strict economy, and apart from the purchase of land in Edmund Street, to be used for public buildings, there was no further expansion of the council’s activities until the 1860s, when the first libraries were opened and the corporation began to acquire parks (VCH).

Victoria Square Development

2.6 The area around what is now Victoria Square has developed steadily since the construction of the Town Hall in 1834, as illustrated in the 1890 Ordnance Survey Map (see Figure 2.6).

2.7 The Street Commissioners obtained an Act to erect the Town Hall in 1828 (Foster, p. 57). The Catholic architect J Hansom with his partner E Welch, won a competition in 1830 for its design, beating notable others including Charles Barry and Thomas Rickman. The Town Hall is a leading example of neo-Classical architecture. Raised on a heavily rusticated plinth, it is modelled on a Roman peripteral temple, based on that of Castor and Pollux at Rome. It is listed grade I.

2.8 The following extract from the Pevsner Architectural Guide for Birmingham describes the construction of the building

“Hansom & Welch designed a free-standing temple, fourteen bays by seven (as it now exists). This proved too large for the site, and had to be cut down. The 1832-4 building was only twelve bays long, with a plain podium on the W where houses stood very close, and a blank N side. Almost immediately it was realized that there was no space for an orchestra for concerts, and in 1837 Charles Edge extended the N side with a large rectangular internal recess, and moved the organ into it. Then in 1849-51, when a new street was opened on the N and W sides, Edge completed the W podium to match

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that on the E, extended the building to fourteen bays, and built the N front with a pediment to match that on the S. At the same time he excavated the basement room below the Great Hall, and completed carving the twenty columns which has been left raw in 1834. The new N front had two internal columns flaming the recess, removed in 1889-91 when staircases designed by Cossins & Peacock were built to give access to the roof space. In 1995 the arcade at the S end of the podium, with its wonderful vistas through the arches, was infilled by the City Council’s Department of Planning & Architecture, to increase the size of the foyer.” (Foster, p. 58)

2.9 The Town Hall as it was built in the 1830s can be seen in Figure 2.2.

Figure 2.2: The Town Hall in the 1830s

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Figure 2.3: The Town Hall in 1895

2.10 At this time the Town Hall had opposite it, across the ‘square’, Christ Church by Charles Norton with William Whitmore. Construction of the church began in 1805 but went through several hands before completion in 1814. The much criticised spire had replaced the proposed cupola. The building was demolished in 1899, changing the composition of the Square Chamberlain helped to complete. But more was to come.

Figure 2.4: Christ Church and the square in the 1890s

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Victorian Changes: Chamberlain Vision

2.11 The site for the Council House on the northern side of the ‘square’ was bought in 1853, however, it was not until 1870 that a competition for the design of the building was held. Foster writes of this competition and the building’s construction:

“What followed was a farcical intrigue; designs were supposed to be anonymous, but competitors’ names were well known, Waterhouse recommended tow designs in turn by outside architects, the first by W. Henry Lynn of Belfast, and the Council substituted ones by the local architects, with Thomason’s placed first. His scheme placed the council buildings on the S half of the site and the courts on the N. The elevations were in an expanded version of his Italianate commercial manner with round-headed windows separated by paired Corinthian columns. Square turrets hinted at Gilbert Scott’s Foreign Office, and in the centre was a huge tower with a concave truncated pyramid top. The Builder praised the planning, but compared the elevations to ‘a monster railway hotel’.

In 1873, the Estates Committee persuaded Thomason radically to change the exterior, introducing a giant order, a much-praised feature of Lynn’s design that was also in sympathy with the Town Hall. The foundation stone was laid by Joseph Chamberlain on 17 June 1874. The Council first met in its new Chamber in 1878 and formal opening followed on 30 October 1879. The courts were not built.” (Foster, p. 61)

Figure 2.5: The Council House in 1912

2.12 The Council House is listed grade II*. The Council House and Town Hall and the square to which they relate is admired nationally as a symbol of progressive

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municipal government which was promoted under the spirited leadership of Joseph Chamberlain. Victoria Square House, grade II and by the central government architect Henry, later Sir Henry, Tanner, came later, completing the current group, in 1899.

2.13 The Ordnance Survey map of 1890 illustrates the area to be later known as Victoria Square (Figure 2.6). In 1890 the open area between the Town Hall, Council House and Christ Church was unnamed on the OS map but according to Clawley in his book, Birmingham Then and Now, it was known as Council House Square (Clawley, p. 19). In 1890 the square contained a number of statues – the statue of Sir Robert Peel stood between Christ Church and the Town Hall, and two more, to Joseph Priestly and John Skirrow Wright, were surrounded by posts with a cab stand to the west in the centre of the open area. Steps and a drinking fountain to the front west of Christ church are also indicated on the OS map. A tramway crosses the open space southwest from Colmore Row, where it appears to start/end to Paradise Street before turning south into Suffolk Street.

Figure 2.6: OS map, 1890 (scale 1:2500). NB this map does not illustrate the General Post Office between Pinfold Street and Hill Street.

2.14 An image of Birmingham in 1886 shows Chamberlain Square in the foreground with the general area of what was to become Victoria Square to the rear of the Town Hall;, the Council House and Christ Church are also visible (Figure 2.7). The monument in the foreground of the illustration is the Chamberlain Memorial. New Street station may be seen in the backdrop. It is an idealised picture.

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Figure 2.7: Birmingham in 1886 looking towards New Street Station.

2.15 Prior to the construction of the General Post Office in Pinfold Street/ Hill Street, the main post office was located in Paradise Street and Swallow Street (see Figure 2.8). This late 19th century drawing shows the post office and land to the west which the Post Office was proposing to acquire. Victoria Square House would be constructed on the eastern side of Hill Street.

Figure 2.8: Drawing showing the 1874 post office building in Hill Street and proposals to acquire adjacent land.

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2.16 The former General Post Office was constructed in 1889-91 to a design by Sir Henry Tanner of the Offices of Works. The building occupies a block on the southern side of Victoria Square contained by Pinfold Street and Hill Street. When first constructed it was criticised in The Builder:

“For once we may congratulate Birmingham on having set down in her streets, from a foreign source, something as coarse and common-place in architectural design as any of her native developments. Pots and tea-urns of abnormal dimensions are perched about on ledges and on cornices; the whole of it is fussy, pretentious and totally wanting in dignity of effect” (reproduced in Victorian Society Birmingham Group, p. 16)

Figure 2.9: Looking south towards Pinfold Street with Christ Church to the left and the General Post Office to the right in the 1890s. The statue in the centre is the Peel Statue.

2.17 The judgment seems rather precious now. On any basis, the building has a strong, well defined civic character reflecting its prominent location facing the Town Hall and Council House. Here was the expression of national government, the Royal Mail, facing two other civic buildings, the trio in close proximity to a symbol of the Church- by-Law Established, replete with monumental sculptures of major historical figures. It was a picture-book image of civic pride and progress.

2.18 The Post Office building has changed significantly since it was constructed and this is discussed in section 3.0.

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2.19 The 1905 OS map shows the area of Victoria Square had changed, indeed the open space has been renamed Victoria Square following the erection of the statue of Queen Victoria which was originally created in 1901 by Thomas Brock, but recast in bronze by William Bloye in 1951 (Figure 2.10). Significantly, the tramway through the square has been removed, and in so doing, notwithstanding the presence of carriages, increased its civic value. Clearly the removal of the tram enabled a more direct relationship of the sculpture as a group, both with each other and with the surrounding monumental civic buildings.

Figure 2.10: OS map 1905 (scale 1:2500)

2.20 Christ Church has been demolished and replaced with a block of buildings, Galloway’s Corner, of which Foster writes:

“In 1899 Christ Church was demolished and replaced with picturesque, French Renaissance style offices by Essex, Nicol & Goodman, 1901 (Galloway’s Corner). Demolished in 1970 for an unbuilt part of the Inner Ring Road” (Foster, p. 123)

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Figure 2.11: Galloway’s Corner in 1954, with the statue of Queen Victoria to the left, looking towards New Street. The GPO is just out of shot to the right.

2.21 The 1905 OS map also shows the GPO building in Pinfold Street for the first time. The former post office on the west side of Hill Street is in use by the Inland Revenue. The tramline running across Victoria Square has been removed and the area appears more open.

2.22 There is little major change indicated on the OS map of 1918 (Figure 2.12). However, one of the statues indicated on the map is likely to be that of Edward VII The statue was unveiled in Victoria Square on St George's Day, 23 April 1913 by Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll. It stood next to a statue of Queen Victoria. The statue of Edward VII was eventually moved to Highgate Park. The building occupied by the Inland Revenue in Hill Street has been reduced in size and the Post Office now occupies the adjacent building. Figure 2.13 shows the area of Victoria Square in 1928 (bottom right of photograph).

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Figure 2.12: OS map, 1918 (scale 1:2500)

Figure 2.13: Victoria Square in 1928

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Mr Manzoni Arrives: 1935-1963

2.23 On the 11 May 1935 the selection of Mr H J M Manzoni as Birmingham City Engineer was unanimous. Previously, Manzoni had been responsible for Birmingham’s road and footpath programme and traffic administration. In 1936 Manzoni presented his proposals for an expansion scheme for Birmingham. The solution would be to allow the city to expand in certain fixed directions. The core/ hub would be fixed at stipulated dimension/ diameter and development would only be allowed within definite radial limits. Although Manzoni is reported commenting that the “cost of widening New Street between Victoria Square and Corporation Street would amount to many millions of pounds” - not only for local values but compensation for disturbance of businesses. In January 1952 the Birmingham Mail produced a plan showing the proposed road development for the City centre (see Figure 2.14).

Figure 2.14: Plan of proposed road system

2.24 The post-WWII redevelopment of Birmingham City centre resulted in the loss of many buildings and the construction of the inner Ring Road. The Colmore Row and

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Environs Conservation Area Character Appraisal provides this summary of the redevelopment:

“As early as 1917 a Council report had suggested that a ‘loop’ or ring of roads should be constructed around the city centre linking the radial roads and diverting through traffic. The realisation of this vision proved impossible during the following decades and it was not until 1944 that the Council approved a plan very similar to that proposed in 1917. The route still followed the line of existing streets to form a tight girdle around the city centre but there were some additions. These included the widening of Colmore Row to 80 feet to allow two way traffic and provide a main loading place for buses close to the shopping area. The Inner Ring Road Scheme was given Parliamentary approval in 1946 and, as with the 1876 Improvement Scheme, the Council was permitted to sell or lease any surplus land.

Work on the Inner Ring Road began in 1957 and it was opened to traffic in 1971. As part of the scheme Great Charles Street (Great Charles Street Queensway) was widened towards the north and a road tunnel and pedestrian subways constructed beneath it. The Central Library and the Birmingham and Midland Institute were taken down for the construction of Paradise Circus Queensway. Mason College, the Liberal Club and other buildings at the north-west end of Edmund Street were demolished and the new Central Library erected on the site. In 1971 Edmund Street was closed at the junction with Margaret Street. In the same year Congreve Street was stopped up at Great Charles Street Queensway and remodelled as a foot passage (Congreve Passage) down to the former junction with Edmund Street. The Birmingham and Midland Institute moved to its present building on Margaret Street (built in 1899 as the Birmingham Library). The new Central Library and the adjoining School of Music (now the University of Central England) opened in 1973.” (BCC, p. 15)

2.25 Victoria Square was remodelled in 1951, though these changes are not picked up on the 1954 OS plan (Figure 2.15). Perhaps surprisingly, the buildings appear extant despite the heavy aerial bombardment sustained in Birmingham during WWII. The General Post Office has been renamed Head Post Office and has extended to include what appears to be a new building on the west side of Hill Street (site of the former PO building, later the Inland Revenue). A footbridge connects the two buildings at higher level. Queen Victoria’s statue is clearly depicted and the other statues have been moved. Traffic islands/ pedestrian refuges are indicated on the map as dotted lines. A photograph of Victoria Square in 1962 illustrates Queen Victoria’s statue surrounded by the reformed road network (Figure 2.16).

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Figure 2.15: OS map 1954 (scale 1:1250)

Figure 2.16: Victoria Square in 1962

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A Near Miss: Victoria Square House Saved

2.26 The Council’s CA statement writes of the redevelopment of the City centre:

“Over the years which followed however, the Council’s enthusiasm for such an ambitious and expensive project declined. This was the result of a number of factors, chief among them a less favourable financial climate and growing popular unease at the huge loss of familiar streets and buildings the construction of the Inner Ring Road and other post-war building projects entailed. In 1969 Public Works Committee were asked to reconsider their plans to widen Colmore Row, which capacity elsewhere on the Inner Ring Road had in any case made unnecessary, in order to preserve buildings and an area of architectural and historic importance. In 1970 while discussions were underway several buildings on the south side of Colmore Row were statutorily listed, a central government decision which contributed to their survival. Galloway’s Corner was demolished however and the site later grassed over. The Council argued that its removal provided both an improved traffic flow between Colmore Row, Paradise Circus and New Street and a more dignified and spacious setting for the Council House and the surrounding public buildings.” (BCC, p. 16)

2.27 In the early 1970s proposals to redevelop the site of the General Post Office were approved by the City Council. This led to a concerted campaign led by the Victorian Society to save the building from demolition. After a seven-year campaign the building was saved. Foster writes of the campaign:

“Conservation first became an effective force in the 1970s. The Birmingham group of the Victorian Society was founded in 1967. The long campaign to preserve the Post Office in Victoria Square was the turning point. In 1973 the group forced a public inquiry into demolition; they lost, but in 1978, in alliance with community groups, finally succeeded in saving the building. The city’s first, modest Conservation Areas were declared in 1969. The first façade retention scheme was JMDG’s Nos. 97-107 Habley Road, c. 1971.” (p. 34)

2.28 Figure 2.17 illustrates the levelling of Galloway’s Corner in 1971; the volume of traffic is notable around the periphery of the construction site. Figure 2.19 shows the area around Victoria Square in the mid 1980s.. The large triangular empty site crossed by a footpath is the site of the former Galloway’s Corner.

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Figure 2.17: Victoria Square in 1971 after the demolition of Galloway’s Corner

A Model of the Urban Renaissance: 1988-1993

2.29 In 1988, the Council and a group of international consultants initiated the ‘Highbury Initiative’. A symposium was held with an agenda to devise an urban design strategy to eradicate the mistakes of the mid twentieth century and propel the image of the City. Flagship projects such as the ICC and NIA were woven into the fabric of the City to create quarters with specific identities, alongside aspirations for the delivery of new and improved major squares and spaces, at Victoria Square Centenary Square and Brindley Place.

2.30 Works to “remove or mitigate the effects of the ‘concrete collar” during this period included lowering of the inner Ring Road at Paradise Circus, and the construction of a pedestrian bridge to provide a link from the city centre core through Chamberlain Square to the new development in the Broad Street area.

2.31 The Initiative also produced the ‘City Centre Design Strategy’ by Tibbalds et al (1990). A key element to ensure the success of the strategy was the prioritisation of pedestrians and improved connectivity between the quarters and in particular the core area (Corbett, 2004).

2.32 In 1991 Plans were made to pedestrianise Victoria Square and to create a public focal point, the idea being to give back to it the symbolic role and form it had in evolved over the previous 150 or so years, and had only managed to attain with the removal of the tram line in the early C20.

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2.33 An international design competition was held for a central water feature in the square, which was won by Dhruva Mistry.

“work began on Victoria Square, which was to be the focal point of the project as well as New Street, Corporation Street the high Street, and adjacent side streets. Buses and traffic flows were re-routed and most vehicles excluded from the streets.” (BCC redesign Victoria Square Jan 1991)

2.34 Construction commenced in 1992 and was completed in 1994, when it was officially opened by Diana, Princess of Wales. During the redevelopment of the square, Iron: Man, a sculpture by Antony Gormley was installed and unveiled in 1993 (Figure 2.18). A plaque is located on the southwestern side of the square to commemorate the opening.

2.35 The urban design and hard landscaping was an integral part of this transformation. The new steps and fountain have facilitated the creation of two level subspaces or terraces out of the sloping site, each measuring approximately 50 m by 30 m. These are robust spaces, the upper level is often used for civic events, while the lower space merges into New Street and is used for more informal entertainment. The space and landscaping provide a befitting setting for the surrounding civic ensemble, which, in turn, provides important enclosure for the spaces. Importantly, however, the composition and functionality of Victoria Square forms a whole, put together by one artist.

Figure 2.18: Gormley’s Iron Man

2.36 In 1993 the Square won the "Street Design" National Award for Pedestrianisation and in 1994 the Council won a design award for “the renaissance of the City”. Of the strategy and the Victoria Square development in particular, Corbett (2004) states:

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After leaving New Street railway station and turning west, New Street provides a direct axial route to the first square in the sequence, Victoria Square. There is a dramatic sense of arrival when the pedestrian leaves New Street and arrives in this irregularly shaped public space. Prior to the improvement works, Victoria Square was little more than a traffic island, with traffic congestion on three sides. This was considered inappropriate for a civic space defined by splendid Victorian buildings, including the grade I listed Council House (in the style of a Venetian palace), a town hall that rises like the ancient Greek Parthenon, and a former post office in the style of a French chateau.

Figure 2.19: OS map c. mid 1980s

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Today

2.37 The layout of Victoria Square in 2006 can be seen in Figure 2.20. The map shows Victoria Square as it is today following the pedestrianisation works. This work was symbolic of a new interest in urban planning and city centre regeneration which led, shortly after, to Richard Rogers’ report to the Blair’s Labour government, Towards an Urban Renaissance (Crown Copyright, 1999, E & FN Spon). Birmingham had in effect anticipated one of the most enduring recommendations of the Rogers’ report:

 Undertake area demonstration projects which illustrated the benefits of a design led approach to the urban regeneration process.

2.38 Such projects would be part of strategic investment in improved pedestrian and cycle provision, raising the status of walking and riding a bike as sustainable, city-friendly forms of transport. New routes would be part of a network of public spaces that had a clear hierarchy of form and meaning. Proto-Urban Renaissance projects are illustrated in the book, and include pedestrian measures in Leeds, the Grainger Town works in Newcastle or Brindley Place in Birmingham. Victoria Square was part of a strategic, city-wide network of spaces and places, and it compares with other provincial urban regeneration landscape works from this period, for example, Sheffield’s Peace Gardens. Victoria Square is, then, a demonstration project marking an important moment in our recent cultural history, where concepts of urban conservation came to overlap with more functional concepts of sustainable development, and specifically with the idea that great design could help make great places.

2.39 The essence of the great place is its connectivity, and the new pedestrianisation work were intended specifically to link New Street with Chamberlain Square, and say something very specific about the continuity of innovation in Birmingham from the Victorian to modern periods. The new streetscape works – continuous, high quality paving materials and a carefully managed level change – were intended to unify the space and the great historic buildings around it, the Town Hall, the Council House, the Post Office, who name, Victoria Square House, ties it expressly to the statue of the Queen and the name of the place.

2.40 The success of the strategy has seen benefits to the wider area and subsequent investment.

“In the City Centre core itself, the £6.5 million phase 1 pedestrianisation package completed in 1993 has provided the main part of the planned "pedestrian spine" across the City Centre and considerably reduced the impact of buses on the core area. The change in environmental conditions on New Street has been dramatic and pedestrianisation here brought significant new investment in the surrounding property in the last two years. As part of the package Victoria Square has been laid out. For the first time this important hub of the pedestrian routes in Birmingham is traffic-free. The

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scheme relates very closely to the TSB Bank decision to relocate their head office to Birmingham, re-using and extending the listed former Post Office. The company also funded the Iron Man artwork in the Square.” (Blakemore, J and Wright G, 1995: 54)

Figure 2.20: OS map 2006

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Figure 2.21: Victoria Square in 2014

Summary of development of Victoria Square

2.41 Victoria Square has changed considerably since it was first conceived in the 19th century. The size and use of the square has been adapted to meet the needs of those using it. At the end of the 19th century the relatively small area of open space was busy with traffic and pedestrians. The large civic buildings – Town Hall and the Council Hall reflected the civic pride of the City of Birmingham Corporation. These sat alongside the General Post Office and the short-lived Christ Church. Statues of political figures were set within the square, but probably did little to assist the free movement of traffic and pedestrians. The fall in ground level across the square was also something that was not addressed until the end of the 20th century.

2.42 There was, however, a conscious desire, at the end of the Victorian period, to complete the square through the construction of the Post Office and the removal of tram movements from it. This intention was completed with the installation of a monumental sculpture of the Queen who gave her name to the place.

2.43 During the 20th century the levels of traffic increased significantly both in the centre of Birmingham and the square itself. This resulted in the construction of the inner Ring Road. However, the Ring Road was not completed as originally conceived and did not extend to Victoria Square although the buildings at Galloway’s Corner were demolished to facilitate its construction.

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2.44 Followign the Highbury Initiative in 1988, advantage was taken of this empty site to retain it as public open space and integrate it into the square contributing to the pedestrianisation of Victoria Square in the 1990s. This was a model project, one of several in the City which looked forward to the concepts promoted by Lord Rogers in his major report, Towards an Urban Renaissance, which continues to shape government policy and local practice and introduced what we can be called the ‘urban design agenda’. This additional open space also allowed the redesign of the square to address the difference in ground levels, creating a pedestrian-friendly and more legible public open space. Users of the square are now able to appreciate the quality of the surrounding buildings without negotiating crossing busy roads of traffic.

2.45 It seems to us strange, even ironic, that this model project should be threatened by the introduction of a tram line which the successors to Chamberlain had removed in order to give the square a more civic and urbane character, and which has received critical acclaim for its transformation of the area and surrounding environs. The practical effect of the tram proposed would be to restrict movement from Chamberlain Square to the south and east, severing one important desire line in the space.

2.46 The table below provides a summary of the chronological development of Victoria Square.

Date Event 1814 Christ Church constructed on east side of square 1832-4 Town Hall constructed on west side of square 1837 Town Hall extended 1849-51 New streets to north and west of Town Hall created 1874 Post Office building in Hill Street/Swallow Street constructed and opened 1878 The Council House constructed and in use on north side of square 1889-91 General Post Office constructed on south side of square By1890 Statues of Peel, Priestly and Wright erected Tram crosses square NE-SW 1899 Christ Church demolished 1901 Galloway’s Corner constructed on site of Christ Church 1901 Erection of statue of Queen Victoria Renaming of square to “Victoria Square” By 1905 Tramway through square removed 1911 Side wings added to General Post Office 1913 Erection of statue of Edward VII By 1954 Only Queen Victoria’s statue retained in square 1957 Construction of inner Ring Road commenced 1971 Galloway’s Corner demolished for Ring Road Site later grassed over 1988 Highbury Initiative 1990 City Centre Design Strategy 1991-3 Pedestrianisation of Victoria Square 1993 Installation of Iron Man 1994 Victoria Square opened by Diana, Princess of Wales

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3.0 VICTORIA SQUARE HOUSE

3.1 This section of the report considers the history of Victoria Square House and is supplemented with plans and photographs of the building. Reference is also made to the planning history where relevant, and a summary of the planning history is provided in Section 4.0 of this report.

3.2 Before the site was cleared in 1888—9, it contained a number of smaller buildings including Corbett's Temperance Hotel, Joe Hillman's dining rooms, the Theatre Royal, Christ Church School associated with the nearby church and the “London Hatters”, a small hat shop, amongst many other small shops and Georgian terraces (see Figure 3.1).

Figure 3.1: The Temperance Hotel

3.3 The acquisition of the site for the post office required considerable amounts of negotiation with different landowners and tenants and the Post Office Archive contains copies of the conveyancing documents.

3.4 As noted in section 2.0 above, the General Post Office building was built in 1889-91 to a design by Sir Henry Tanner. The photograph below shows the building under construction (Figure 3.2).

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Figure 3.2 The General Post Office under construction c. 1889

3.5 The Goad Fire Insurance plan of 1889 shows the Post Office building as under construction (Figure 3.3). Interestingly, it shows the later wings (as also illustrated on the OS maps of 1905 and 1918) although these were not added until 1911.

Figure 3.3 Goad Fire Insurance Plan

3.6 Tanner’s original drawings for the General Post Office are held by the Post Office Archive. The collection comprises floor plans (sub-basement to roof), section drawings and New Street (now Victoria Square) and Hill Street elevations. The Pinfold Street elevation is missing from the collection. The archive also contains

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plans indicating the subway between the post office and New Street railway station. Extracts of these drawings are reproduced below.

3.7 Sadly the original ranges have been redeveloped. But what is clear from the drawings – and remains true about the replacement range to the rear – is that the choice of facing materials to the Square was deliberate: stone for a prominent corner facing important, civic stone building. The detailing of the architecture is also more elaborate at this end, again as befitting its position.

3.8 It is also clear, and important in this context, that the main entrances were located at the corners, not centrally, as they are now.

Figure 3.4: Front Elevation of the General Post Office (POST91/1443)

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Figure 3.5: Hill Street Elevation (POST91/1442)

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Figure 3.6: Extract of Hill Street Elevation showing front part of building (POST91/1442)

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Figure 3.7: Ground Floor Plan of the General Post Office (POST91/1449)

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Figure 3.8: Extract of Ground Floor Plan showing front part of the General Post Office (POST91/1449)

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Figure 3.9: Extract of Mezzanine and Ground Floor Plan showing detail of ceiling of public hall

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Figure 3.10: Extract of plan showing lift chamber and connection to subway (POST91/1444)

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Figure 3.11: Section showing location of subway beneath the post office (POST91/1444)

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Figure 3.12: Extract of Ground Floor Plan showing location of lifts to subway (POST91/1449)

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Figure 3.13: Plan indicating route of subway from the General Post Office to New Street Station (POST30/1237A)

3.9 The Birmingham Daily Post wrote about the building on the 22 August 1890 (page 4) (reproduced from http://britishpostofficearchitects.weebly.com/1890---victoria- square.html):

“The new Birmingham Post Office has now advanced to such a stage that it is possible for the public to form a very good idea of what the completed building will be like. The shell is already finished, and, with the exception of the roof of that portion fronting the Council House, the whole is roofed in. The hoardings, which will shortly be taken down, will disclose a building which, if it does not call forth ecstatic admiration, will be infinitely superior to the edifices with which Government departments have been in the habit of disfiguring the streets of provincial towns, as, for instance, the old office and the county courts. We shall, at least, have a building with some pretensions to decorative effect. Whatever criticisms may, however, be passed on the external architecture, the internal arrangements promise to be unexceptionable. With a view to making these as convenient as possible for the staff, Mr. Walliker (the postmaster), Mr. Lewis (the postal superintendent), and Mr. Derrington (the superintendent of the telegraph department in Cannon Street), visited the offices in London and at Liverpool, Manchester, and Glasgow, and many of the internal details have been modelled on the information then obtained. It is hoped that the letter-sorting and the parcels post departments will be available for the Christmas work, and that the whole building will be open early in the new year. A large staff of workmen are engaged on the work. Mr. Vickers, of Nottingham, is the builder. His contract

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was upwards of £50,000, but it is estimated that the total cost of the building and fittings, exclusive of the land, will be between £65,000 and £70,000. The structure will accommodate a staff of about 900 persons, the postal, money order, and telegraphs being all brought under the same roof. The two first- named departments will be in the front of the building towards New Street, and the letter-boxes will be underneath the front windows - thus removing what has been one of the greatest grievances, so far as the public is concerned, connected with the old office. The front hall will be about 80ft. by 60ft., and 21ft. from floor to ceiling; and the public will have the centre of the floor at their disposal. A counter with its back to New Street will be for the sale of stamps, and a sort of horseshoe counter will run round the other three sides, and will give facilities for the transaction of telegraph, registered letter, and other business. The statue of Sir Rowland Hill will be placed in the middle of the floor. On the floor, above the postmaster's office and offices for the chief clerk, the accountant clerk and his staff will be situated. On the wing running along Hill Street the rooms in the sub-basement will be used for telegraph stores and for accommodating the containers for working the pneumatic tubes with which the building is fitted. The parcels post office will be the room above. This, as is the case with all the other rooms in the administrative department, is lined with white glazed bricks, which is favourable both to the light and cleanliness of the places. In this office there will be four rams for working the hydraulic lifts, by which the baskets containing the parcels for despatch by rail will be lowered to a subway running from the post office to New Street station. This arrangement will greatly facilitate the work of the officials, for at present both parcels and letters have to be sent to the station in horse vehicles. The public entrance to the parcels post department will also be in Hill Street. The letter-sorting room extends the whole length of the building, and is about 207ft. long by 45ft. wide, and will be lighted by an unbroken range of lofty windows overlooking Hill Street. The sorting-room is from two to three feet below the level of the public hall, and underneath the latter a tramway will run between the sorting- room and the letter-box in New Street, whereby the baskets in which the letters are received will be from time to time brought in for clearance. The telegraph instrument room will be on the top storey. Its dimensions are the same as the sorting-room below, but, in addition to the windows overlooking Hill Street the roof is almost entirely of glass. Telegrams for despatch will be received at the front office in New Street, and will be sent up a pneumatic tube to the instrument room, and those for town delivery will be sent down by similar means. In the instrument room there will be a complex pneumatic tube arrangement. Telegrams for despatch will be distributed amongst the clerks by these tubes, and those received will be collected in the same way at a table at the top end of the room. The top storey on the Pinfold Street wing will be utilised for the storage of batteries, and below there will be offices for receiving night telegrams, a telegraph delivery room (25ft. by 30ft.), rooms for telegraph inspectors, linesmen, mail-cart men, and the telegraph engineer, and mechanics' offices. Ample provision has been made for the convenience

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of the staff. There are numerous cooking and mess rooms, and servants will be provided to do the cooking for the clerks and others both night and day. The building throughout will be lighted with electricity. At the rear of the office the foundations are now being dug out for laying down the necessary plant for working the pneumatic tubes, the hydraulic lifts, and driving the electric- lighting machinery. The exhaust steam from the four large boilers will be utilised to heat the various rooms. When the new Post Office is open the present office will be disposed of, as also will the existing telegraph office in Cannon Street.”

3.10 This article and detailed description of the building is very helpful in understanding how the building was originally used and how it has changed.

3.11 The building had been designed to be convenient for its staff to use. Postal and money services were located at the front of the building (NB the article says towards New Street, as this was before the square was renamed Victoria Square), with post boxes beneath the front windows. The post boxes are visible in the photograph of 1901 (see Figure 3.17). The centre of the ground floor space was for the public to use, Figures 3.8 and 3.14 illustrate this arrangement. A counter for selling stamps was located with its back to New Street (now Victoria Square), with a horseshoe- shaped counter along the other three sides. This layout can be seen in Figure 3.8.

3.12 The building was fitted with pneumatic tubing for circulating information and articles around the building. The Hill Street wing contained the parcels office. This office contained the “four rams for working the hydraulic lifts, by this the baskets containing the parcels for despatch by rail will be lowered to a subway running from the post office to New Street station”. The subway was accessed via lifts which were located at the rear of the building as seen in Figure 3.12. The detailed drawings suggest the lifts descended approximately 35ft below the level of the sub-basement where they connected with the subway to New Street Station (see Figure 3.11).

3.13 The public entrance to the parcels office was from Hill Street at what was basement level taking account in the drop in street level.

3.14 The sorting room was below the public hall and beneath this a tramway ran between the sorting room and the letter box in New Street (Victoria Square). The whole of the building was to be lit by electricity although no light fittings are visible in Figure 3.15 below but are evident by 1933 (Figure 3.16).

3.15 The statue of Sir Rowland Hill was to be placed in the centre of the floor and again this is illustrated in Figure 3.15, but had been removed by 1933. The Post Office Archive contains correspondence discussing the proposed location of the statue and includes sketches of the statue and plans indicating the preferred location (Figure 3.14).

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Figure 3.14: Plan showing the proposed location of the statue of Sir Rowland Hill

Figure 3.15: The interior of the General Post Office in c. 1894, the statue in the centre of the room is Sir Rowland Hill, note the decorative ceiling

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Figure 3.16: The interior of the Post Office in c. 1933. The statue of Sir Rowland Hill appears to have been removed when this photograph was taken.

3.16 Comparison Figures 3.15 and 3.16 suggest that the tables attached to the main structural columns as well as the statue of Sir Rowland Hill had been removed. The table to the right in the 1894 image appears to have been removed and replaced with an area cordoned off by a metal barrier. Pendant lighting has also been introduced by 1933. The window arrangements suggest the views in both images are looking towards the Pinfold Street elevation, with Victoria Square to the left. The decorated plaster ceiling and impressive columns are clearly visible on the earlier photograph.

3.17 A number of photographs show the external Victoria Square façade and are reproduced below.

Figure 3.17: The GPO building in 1904, note the central window with post boxes below

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Figure 3.18: The GPO building in 1909

Figure 3.19: The GPO building (undated)

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Figure 3.20: The GPO building (undated)

3.18 The General Post Office sustained damage during aerial bombing during the 22nd and 23rd November 1944. Photographs held by the Post Office Archive indicate the Postmen’s Office and the Telegraph Instrument room (located in the Pinfold Street wing) sustained damage which was repairable, with services relocated (POST56/40). The footbridge connecting the GPO building with the post office building on the western side of Hill Street was also damaged but the footbridge was considered repairable for temporary use (POST56/40).

3.19 The GPO building was added to the statutory list at grade II in September 1972. The list description is provided below:

“1889-91 by Sir Henry Tanner. Stone; slate roof. Three storeys plus attic; 5 bays, the centre one slightly advanced and with superimposed orders, plus diagonal corner bays with pedimented entrances and also with superimposed orders. Ground floor with arched openings. First and second floors with cross windows. Exceedingly lively skyline with an arched window within a pedimented attic flanked by steeply pitched roofs with dormer windows and corner polygonal turrets with pediments, little domes and urns as finials.”

3.20 At the same time as the building was being considered for listing, proposals were before the City Council for its demolition and replacement with a high rise scheme by

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R Seifert and Partners and the scheme was granted permission in January 1973. However, local opposition to the demolition of the GPO building or chateau as it was known, was successful.

“After a seven year campaign by the Victorian Society, joined in 1976 by the Green Ban Action Committee the building was saved from demolition. The Victorian Society broke new ground in conservation tactics by submitting for planning permission an alternative scheme which retained the post office. The postal board adopted this scheme as a basis for the future development of the site. The future development involved the demolition of the red brick sorting office at the rear of building. The adjacent parcels office which was connected by a link bridge over Hill Street was also demolished, and was replaced in 1985 by One Victoria Square, designed by Watkins dGrey Woodgate International. The preservation of the Post Office was one of the first and most important victories for architectural conservation by the Victorian Society.” (taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Square_House)

3.21 There have been several schemes for redevelopment of the former GPO building submitted to and approved by the City Council. Selected planning applications are discussed below and supplemented with extracts of the planning application drawings which provide information relating to changes to the listed building.

3.22 Plans for the refurbishment of the “chateau” and new commercial development on the site were approved in 1988 (refs 24313/27 and 24313/28). Copies of the plans submitted with the listed building application provide information on the building at that time. The officer’s report for these applications describes the proposals as:

“The demolition of the two rear wings and the retention and refurbishment of the chateau block. The refurbishment works would involve, at ground floor level, the renovation of the rear wall and existing windows converted into openings, the whole to form an entrance foyer. At first floor level the rear wall would be renovated and existing window openings infilled. Internal partitions would also be removed to form open plan offices. Similar works would be carried out at second and third floor levels.

Attached to the rear of the chateau, on the site of the demolished wings a new office building would be erected.

The new-build would comprise two wing buildings on the Pinfold Street and Hill Street frontages comprising upper and lower basement, ground, first, second, third floors surmounted by a high pitched roof incorporating the fourth floor and plant rooms. These wings would be linked to the rear of the chateau building.”

“The existing post office building with its distinctive architecture forms a significant feature in the series of Listed Buildings surrounding Victoria

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Square. However, this distinction is concentrated in the chateau block fronting the Square, which it is proposed to retain and refurbish. The rear wings are later additions and although the Pinfold Street wing has some architectural merit the condition of the building and the cost of any refurbishment works would bring the viability of the scheme into question, in addition to the practical difficulties of incorporating a retained Pinfold Street wing into a new development fronting Hill Street. I therefore, see no objection to the demolition of the rear wings, subject to their replacement by a building of suitable architectural quality. The internal alterations to the chateau are minimal and have limited effect as there are little or no internal features of merit.”

3.23 The Post Office proposals for the building in 1979 (plans held by the Post Office Archive) indicate the intention to retain the post office services (see Figure 3.21). The drawing indicates that access to the ground floor from Victoria Square was via the two corner doorways. These appear to have internal revolving doors with double external doors to the street. The layout of the post office counters was similar to the original layout.

Figure 3.21: Ground floor layout as proposed in 1979 (POST91/786)

3.24 Figure 3.22 Shows the ground floor plan as existing in 1988 providing information as to how the former GPO was used at that time.

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Figure 3.22: Ground floor as existing (planning application 24313/27)

Figure 3.23: Extract of Pinfold Street elevation as existing (planning application 24313/27)

3.25 The proposals also included adding a new doorway in the centre of the Victoria Square façade, thus replacing the central window with a door. The extracts of drawings indicating the existing window and proposed doorway are provided below but are from planning application 24313/34 (Figures 3.24 and 3.25). The pediment

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above the central window is not indicated on the drawings and presumably it had been removed by the date of the application. The proposals included the removal and replacement of the clock above the window.

Figure 3.24: The existing central window to the Victoria Square façade in 1989 planning application 24313/34

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Figure 3.25: Proposed main entrance doorway to Victoria Square façade planning application 24313/34

3.26 Planning and listed building applications (refs 24313/34 and 24313/35) were approved in November 1989 and the submitted drawings indicated proposals to refurbish the ground floor of the post office building. Extracts of the existing and proposed internal elevations are reproduced below (see Figures 3.26-3.31).

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Figure 3.26: Existing elevation AA, planning application 24313/34

Figure 3.27: Existing elevation BB, planning application 24313/34

Figure 3.28: Existing elevation CC, planning application 24313/34

Figure 3.29: Existing elevation DD, planning application 24313/34

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Figure 3.30: Ground floor plan showing location of elevation drawings, planning application 24313/34

Figure 3.31: Proposed elevation BB – showing new central doorway replacing the central window, planning application 24313/34

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3.27 The comparison of photographs of the building in 1904 and 2014 indicates significant changes to this façade. The most significant change is the replacement of the central window and posting boxes with a double door. The pediment above the window indicated in 1904 has also since been removed. The clock above the main window has also been replaced. The historic images indicate that this central entrance was not part of the original design of the building. Access to the post office was from the corner doors.

3.28 In 1996 listed building consent was granted for the replacement of sections of railings to match the existing (1990/03574/PA), however, comparison of the two photos indicates that the existing railings are erected on a stone plinth that is significantly higher than the original stone plinths.

Figure 3.32: the building in 1904

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Figure 3.33: The building in 2014

3.29 In 1989 The Birmingham Branch of the Victorian Society published a book – All about Victoria Square. The section referencing Victoria Square House is below, firstly responding to the description of the building as appeared in The Builder when the building was completed.

“Fussy it is, but while it is not a great building, it is one of the group of 19th century buildings which create Victoria Square, unified by a common classical language and by common material. The Post Office is more deliberately picturesque than its neighbours, in a French Renaissance style, rather like a Chateau. But it is certainly not without dignity.”

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“The public counter of the Post Office takes up the whole of the ground floor, with offices on three floors above. Tanner also designed the letter sorting office behind, more utilitarian in manner in red brick, but complementary to the Post Office. Redundant now, it used to connect directly with New Street at its lower end.

Before the 1891 building, Birmingham’s Post Office was located in Victoria Square on the opposite side of Hill Street, in a neoclassical building of 1874, and before that in New Street. It speaks much of the rapid growth of the town that the 1874 building became inadequate within 20 years. After Tanner’s building replaced it, it became the office of the Inland Revenue, and was later replaced by a rather dull post office building, the parcels office, connected to the latter sorting office by a bridge over Hill Street. The Parcels Office was demolished in the 1970s.” (p. 16)

Summary of Victoria Square House

3.30 The former General Post Office was constructed 1889-91 with the wings to Pinfold Street and Hill Street of a later date. The public hall of the post office was contained within the front portion of the building, ie, that fronting New Street, now Victoria Square. The public hall was at ground floor with access for the public and staff from the corner entrance doors, with the public accessing the building from Hill Street/New Street and staff via the Pinfold Street/New Street entrances. The present central door is a later adaptation, and when it was made the original side doors were closed off. The sorting offices and parcels services were located in the wings to the rear, with the parcels office in the Hill Street wing, accessed from Hill Street. The Telegraph services were located in the Pinfold Street wing. The rear ranges had a simpler form of design and were faced in brick, not stone, as befitting the lesser status of the roads they faced. The main block facing Victoria Square was faced in stone specifically to form a group with the Town Hall and Council House.

3.31 The GPO building was connected via a subway to New Street Railway Station and allowed post and parcels to be transported quickly below ground. The subway was located at the rear of the building, closest to New Street Station. It is likely that the subway was removed or infilled during the redevelop of the rear part of the site.

3.32 The front building was saved from demolition following a concerted campaign by local conservation groups and retained as part of the new development now known as Victoria Square House. As part of the redevelopment a new entrance door was introduced replacing the central window facing Victoria Square. At the same time the original entrances located at the corners of the Victoria Square façade were taken out of use. At some time before the development of Victoria Square House the pediment above the central window was lost.

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4.0 PLANNING HISTORY

4.1 The Colmore Row Conservation Area was first designated in 1971 and extended in 1985. Victoria Square House was included in the first Conservation Area designated, but only the “chateau” part of the former GPO building. The two wings of the GPO building were included in the 1985 extension of the Conservation Area.

4.2 The Conservation Area designation report of 1971 stated (see also Appendix 2):

“Action to conserve this part of the city centre has been closely linked with your Committee’s resolution to abandon the widening of Colmore Row and the decision to begin rehabilitation of some of the properties between Colmore Row and Waterloo Street.

The nucleus of the proposed conservation area comprises three distinct elements which form an integrated and attractive piece of Birmingham’s townscape. These three elements are:’ 1. St Philip’s Cathedral and churchyard. 2. Colmore Row and Waterloo Street. 3. Victoria Square with the Town Hall and Council House.

It is necessary to include also within the Conservation Area those buildings and streets which give visual support to the several parts of the central axis from Victoria Square to St Philip’s Churchyard.

To designate this Conservation Area will give your Committee greater control in retaining one of its most concentrated areas of historical and architectural heritage. It would mean that the street patterns and external structures of Colmore Row, Waterloo Street and Bennetts Hill with their buildings, many of which are listed, can be preserved and enhanced. At the same time uses within these buildings would be adapted as time goes on to contemporary needs, internal alterations being carried out without affecting the external appearance of the buildings.”

4.3 The General Post Office (Victoria Square House) was listed at grade II on the 25th September 1972 (see Appendix 1).

4.4 A summary of the planning history for the site is tabulated below.

No. Type Development Description Decision Date 1990/0071 Advertise Display of two letting boards for a temporary period Approve 09- 6/PA ment subject to Aug-90 Conditions 1990/0431 Advertise Display of promotional banner Approve 13- 3/PA ment subject to Dec-90 Conditions 1991/0058 Advertise Illuminated TSB logo on rear elevation Approve 18-Apr- 5/PA ment subject to 91 Conditions

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No. Type Development Description Decision Date 1991/0195 Advertise Display of non illuminated logo plus 2 no flag poles Approve 24-Oct- 6/PA ment subject to 91 Conditions 1992/0210 Advertise Installation of external lighting to the chateau, Victoria Approve 09-Jul- 8/PA ment Square subject to 92 Conditions 1997/0080 Advertise Siting of 1 letting/sale board to rear of building Approve 25-Apr- 3/PA ment Temporary 97 1997/0402 Advertise Display of 1 new sign Approve 23-Jul- 7/PA ment Temporary 98 1999/0347 Advertise 1)Approve - Display of 2 banner advertisements on the Part Approve / 07- 0/PA ment rear of the premises 2)Refuse - Display of 1 Banner on Part Refuse Dec-99 the railing at the front. 2008/0558 Advertise Approve: Installation of fascia signs above main Part Approve / 05-Jan- 7/PA ment entrance door and projecting sign on Pinfold Street Part Refuse 09 elevation and fascia sign above door and projecting sign on Hill Street elevation. Refuse: Fascia sign above post boxes on Pinfold Street elevation, and ' 2010/0345 Extend Application for a new planning permission to replace an Approve 17- 9/PA Time to extant planning permission 2009/03086/PA to extend subject to Sep-10 Impleme time limit for submission of reserved matters and Conditions nt implementation 05614000 Full Sub station Approve 10- Planning Nov-49 05614001 Full Footpath crossing Approve 28- Planning Sep-50 1991/0380 Full Demolition of MEB sub-station Approve 10-Oct- 8/PA Planning subject to 91 Conditions 1991/0511 Full Installation of tv aerial on 3m mast on roof Approve 26-Mar- 6/PA Planning subject to 92 Conditions 1992/0045 Full Installation of automatic telling machine within listed Refuse 18-Jun- 0/PA Planning building 92 1992/0339 Full Installation of automatic telling machines within listed Approve 24- 0/PA Planning building subject to Sep-92 Conditions 1995/0482 Full Erection of a pair of wrought iron decorative gates at Approve 05- 7/PA Planning main entrance subject to Sep-96 Conditions 1996/0357 Full Installation of 2 railing section and 1 gate to match Approve 04- 5/PA Planning existing subject to Dec-96 Conditions 1999/0092 Full Stone cleaning and the provision of pigeon deterrents in Withdrawn by 08- 8/PA Planning the form of post and wire to sills and extension of Agent Sep-99 netting to cover part of elevations 2002/0182 Full Renewal of permission for bird netting Withdrawn 18-Jun- 4/PA Planning Invalid 02 Application 2003/0149 Full Works to main entrance to provide disabled access Approve 12-Apr- 8/PA Planning subject to 03 Conditions 2005/0421 Full Affix anti debris netting over the existing slated roof, on Approve 18- 9/PA Planning three elevations Temporary Aug-05 2009/0332 Full Part change of use of first floor from offices (Use Class Approve 10- 8/PA Planning B1) to education centre (Use Class D1). subject to Sep-09 Conditions 24313004 Full Offices showrooms car parking post office Refuse 01-Jun- Planning 72 24313005 Full Offices showrooms car parking Approve 21- Planning Sep-72 24313006 Full Demolition of existing building Approve 25-Jan- Planning 73 24313009 Full Leisure centre with residential accommodation Approve 20-Jul-

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No. Type Development Description Decision Date Planning subject to 78 Conditions 24313010 Full Erection of boundary fence and gates Approve 16- Planning subject to Nov-78 Conditions 24313011 Full Erection of boundary fence and gates Approve 16- Planning subject to Nov-78 Conditions 24313012 Full Erection of temporary pre-fabricated building Approve 14- Planning subject to Dec-78 Conditions 24313013 Full Erection of extension Approve 01-Mar- Planning subject to 79 Conditions 24313014 Full The erection of offices including banking halls Approve 12-Jul- Planning showrooms car parking and ancillary accommodation to subject to 79 form a co Conditions 24313016 Full Erect office block, banking halls, showrooms, car Approve 30-Apr- Planning parking and ancillary accommodation subject to 80 Conditions 24313018 Full The erection of offices including banking halls Approve 25-Feb- Planning showrooms ca r parking and ancillary accommodation subject to 82 to form a co Conditions 24313025 Full Change of use to wine bar and bistro Approve 06-Feb- Planning subject to 86 Conditions 24313028 Full Refurbished chateau and new commercial development Approve 30- Planning to be use d for office accommodation part of site to be subject to Sep-87 used Conditions 24313029 Full Change of use to cafe bar (use class a3) Approve 24-Mar- Planning subject to 88 Conditions 24313032 Full Car park offices post office office refurbishment Approve 06-Apr- Planning subject to 89 Conditions 24313033 Full Non compliance with condition relating to demolition Approve 27-Jul- Planning works shall not take place until contracts have been subject to 89 exch Conditions 24313034 Full Proposed new doorway to ground floor chateau Approve 02- Planning subject to Nov-89 Conditions 24313036 Full Change of use from A2 banking hall to B1 office Approve 01-Mar- Planning accommodation including public reception area subject to 90 Conditions 25033000 Full Erection of a temp bank premises Withdrawn by 01-Jan- Planning Agent 01 1990/0362 Listed Carrying out of alterations to and refurbishment of listed Approve 18-Oct- 6/PA Building building subject to 90 Conditions 1990/0531 Listed Refurbishment and alterations to the ground floor Approve 14-Feb- 5/PA Building subject to 91 Conditions 1991/0146 Listed Replacement of stone work to match existing above Approve 13-Jun- 1/PA Building new entrance door subject to 91 Conditions 1991/0207 Listed Display of non-illuminated logo plus 2 flagpoles Approve 24-Oct- 1/PA Building subject to 91 Conditions 1991/0530 Listed Installation of new foundation stone in listed building Approve 09-Jan- 3/PA Building 92 1992/0044 Listed Installation of automatic telling machine within a listed Refuse 18-Jun- 5/PA Building building 92 1992/0210 Listed Installation of external lighting to the chateau Victoria Approve 09-Jul- 3/PA Building Square subject to 92

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No. Type Development Description Decision Date Conditions 1992/0338 Listed Installation of automatic telling machines within listed Approve 24- 9/PA Building building subject to Sep-92 Conditions 1992/0512 Listed Display of disabled users sign Approve 18-Feb- 1/PA Building subject to 93 Conditions 1994/0080 Listed Installation of anti-bird netting to three elevations and Approve 25- 2/PA Building installation of spring guard and pin guard spikes subject to May-95 Conditions 1996/0032 Listed Erection of decorative wrought iron gates at main Approve 05- 6/PA Building entrance subject to Sep-96 Conditions 1996/0357 Listed Installation of 2 railing section and 1 gate to match Approve 04- 4/PA Building existing subject to Dec-96 Conditions 1997/0080 Listed Siting of 1 letting/sale board to rear of building. Approve 25-Apr- 2/PA Building Temporary 97 1998/0361 Listed Renewal of consent for anti-bird netting to 3 elevations Approve 16- 2/PA Building subject to Nov-98 Conditions 1999/0092 Listed Removal of lichen and algae Approve 06- 7/PA Building subject to Sep-99 Conditions 2001/0475 Listed Internal alterations Refuse 19- 6/PA Building Dec-01 2002/0079 Listed Installation of partitions and part new ceilings to third Approve 26-Mar- 5/PA Building floor offices subject to 02 Conditions 2002/0414 Listed Retention of bird netting Approve 16-Oct- 5/PA Building Temporary 02 2002/0458 Listed Installation of roof mounted air handling plant Approve 30-Oct- 6/PA Building subject to 02 Conditions 2003/0150 Listed Affixing of overhead line equipment catenary for Approve 09-Jun- 3/PA Building midland metro subject to 05 Conditions 2004/0812 Listed Retention of bird netting Approve 01-Feb- 2/PA Building Temporary 05 2005/0422 Listed Affix anti debris netting over existing slated roof, on 3 Withdrawn- 11- 0/PA Building elevations Perm Devel Aug-05 2012/0021 Listed Listed Building Consent for the display of 2 no. external Approve 08-Mar- 9/PA Building non illuminated sign and 1 no. internal illuminated sign subject to 12 Conditions 2012/0022 Listed Installation of internal automatic sliding lobby doors with Approve 02-Mar- 1/PA Building false wall subject to 12 Conditions 24313015 Listed New (2 off) stamp vending suites to be located outside Approve 13-Mar- Building general post office in Victoria Square as illustrated subject to 80 Conditions 24313019 Listed Permission for retention of fence and gates to Pinfold Approve 04-Mar- Building Street subject to 82 Conditions 24313024 Listed Permission for retention fence and gates to pinfold Approve 26- Building street subject to Sep-85 Conditions 24313027 Listed Demolition of parts of listed building and refurbishment Approve 30- Building of chateau and new commercial development to be subject to Sep-87 used Conditions 24313030 Listed Proposed alterations to listed building in connection Approve 06-Apr- Building with erection of new office building to rear subject to 89 Conditions 24313031 Listed Structural modifications to existing post office Approve 06-Apr- Building subject to 89

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No. Type Development Description Decision Date Conditions 24313035 Listed Refurbishment of the chateau ( removal of some Approve 02- Building internal walls and forming new entrance to the front subject to Nov-89 elevation) Conditions 24313017 Existing Permission for retention of us e for fence and gates to Withdrawn by 04-Feb- Lawful Pinfold Street Agent 82 Develop ment 24313020 Existing Retention of fence and gates to pinfold street Approve 04-Mar- Lawful subject to 82 Develop Conditions ment 24313021 Existing Application for renewal of planning permission for the Approve 16-Feb- Lawful heating and ventilation chambers subject to 84 Develop Conditions ment 24313022 Existing Renewal or permission for the pre-fabricated building Approve 16-Feb- Lawful for welfare purposes subject to 84 Develop Conditions ment 24313023 Existing Permission for retention of use for fence and gates to Approve 26- Lawful pinfold street subject to Sep-85 Develop Conditions ment

VICTORIA SQUARE HOUSE 57 HISTORIC RESEARCH

5.0 SOURCES

Birmingham City Council (BCC), January 1991, Redesign of Victoria Square Briggs, A, 1952, History of Birmingham, University Press Oxford Clawley, A, 2013, Birmingham – Then and Now, Batsford Corbett, N, 2004, Transforming Cities: Revival in the Square, RIBA Publishing Foster, A, 2005, Birmingham: Pevsner Architectural Guides, Yale Tibbalds et al, 1990, City Centre Design Strategy Upton, C, 1993, History of Birmingham, Philmore Victorian Society Birmingham Group, 1989, All About Victoria Square Blakemore, J and Wright G, (1995) Victoria Square Birmingham, Urban Design Quarter, Issue 54, April

Birmingham City Archives BCC PLAN 47 BCC PLAN 49 The Parliament Session 1885 – POST OFFICE (ACQUISITION OF SITES) – Birmingham, extension of PO GOAD – Sheet 12 (11)/ Newspaper cuttings re Manzoni

Post Office Archives POST30/486B – Birmingham PO: Site for new premises, c. 1886 POST30/503A – Birmingham PO: Hill Street site, c. 1887 POST30/776B – Birmingham PO: Old office plans and papers, c. 1897 POST30/505C – Birmingham PO: Pinfold Street site, c. 1887 POST30/565B – Birmingham PO: site acquired, c. 1890 POST30/514D – Birmingham PO: Mr Hawksworth property purchased, c. 1887 POST30/1237A – Birmingham PO: subway and lifts at New Street Station, c. 1905 POST56/40 – Album of photographs showing bomb damage to Head Post Offices and Telephone Exchanges at Birmingham and Coventry, 1940-41 POST91/783-807 – Birmingham PO – proposed drawings, c. 1979 POST91/1437-1451 – Birmingham PO – proposed drawings, c. 1900

Web sources

A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 255-263. URL: http://www.british- history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50802&strquery=birmingham Date accessed: 09 June 2014 'The Growth of the City', A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 7: The City of Birmingham (1964), pp. 4-25. URL: http://www.british- history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22959 Date accessed: 09 June 2014 http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/cs/Satellite?c=Page&childpagename=Lib-Central- Archives-and- Heritage%2FPageLayout&cid=1223092755422&pagename=BCC%2FCommon%2F Wrapper%2FInlineWrapper http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/lifestyle/real-estate-3938101 http://britishpostofficearchitects.weebly.com/1890---victoria-square.html): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Square_House www.postalheritage.org.uk/

VICTORIA SQUARE HOUSE 58 HISTORIC RESEARCH

Appendix 1

Victoria Square House listed building entry 4/24/2014 List Entry List Entry Summary

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Name: GENERAL POST OFFICE

List Entry Number: 1076142

Location

GENERAL POST OFFICE, VICTORIA SQUARE B3

The building may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County: District: Birmingham District Type: Metropolitan Authority Parish:

National Park: Not applicable to this List entry.

Grade: II

Date first listed: 25-Sep-1972

Date of most recent amendment: Not applicable to this List entry.

Legacy System Information

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System: LBS

UID: 217696

Asset Groupings

This List entry does not comprise part of an Asset Grouping. Asset Groupings are not part of the official record but are added later for information.

List Entry Description

Summary of Building

Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details. http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle_print.aspx?uid=1076142&showMap=1&showText=1 1/3 4/24/2014 List Entry Reasons for Designation

Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

History

Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

Details

VICTORIA SQUARE 1. 5104 City Centre B3 General Post Office SP 0686 NE 33/39 25.9.72 II 2. 1889-91 by Sir Henry Tanner. Stone; slate roof. Three storeys plus attic; 5 bays, the centre one slightly advanced and with superimposed orders, plus diagonal corner bays with pedimented entrances and also with superimposed orders. Ground floor with arched openings. First and second floors with cross windows. Exceedingly lively skyline with an arched window within a pedimented attic flanked by steeply pitched roofs with dormer windows and corner polygonal turrets with pediments, little domes and urns as finials.

Listing NGR: SP0671486818

Selected Sources

Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

Map

National Grid Reference: SP 06714 86818

The below map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. For a copy of the full scale map, please see the attached PDF - 1076142.pdf

http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle_print.aspx?uid=1076142&showMap=1&showText=1 2/3 4/24/2014 List Entry

© Crown Copyright and database right 2012. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100019088. © British Crown and SeaZone Solutions Limited 2011. All rights reserved. Licence number 102006.006.

This copy shows the entry on 24-Apr-2014 at 06:56:55.

http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle_print.aspx?uid=1076142&showMap=1&showText=1 3/3

Appendix 2

Colmore Row Conservation Area designation report

PLANNING CONTROL

Document Title: Conservation Area 11.

Colmore row and Environs

Date of Designation: 7 October 1971

Date of Extension: 21 March 1985 Date of Further Extension: 25 July 1985

Date of Press Notice: 26 November 1971 Date of 2nd Notice: 2 April 1985 rd Date of 3 Notice: 2 August 1985

Contents: Public Works Committee 7 October 1971 report.

Planning Committee 21 March 1985 report and map of proposed extensions

Minutes of 25 July 1985 Planning Committee

Planning Committee 25 July 1985 report

“Securing a Better environment for all the people of Birmingham” £ PHOTI— B20(a)90J/35 The City Engineer, Surveyor and Planning Officer presented tlic following Report: " |U

CITY OF BIRMINGHAM

PR. PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT PUBLIC WOIuCJ COMTCETTKIS 7th October 1971

Designation of Colmore Row arid Environs as a Conservation Area RECOMMENDATION: That the area outlined on Plan No. PR.11101 be designated as a Conservation Area under the Civic. Amenities Act, 1967. . • BACKGROUND: I submitted to the last meeting of the Conservation Areas Advisory Committee a. proposal to request your Committee to designate the area outlined on Plan PR.11101 as a Conservation Area under the Civic Amenities Act, 1967, and this was agreed without modification.

*r- . Action to conserve this part of the city centre has' been closely linked with your Committee's resolution to abandon the widening of Colmore Row and the decision to begin the rehabilitation of some of the properties between Colmore Row and Waterloo Street. - . "• . " '... ** The" nucleus of -the proposed conservation area comprises, three distinct elements which form an integrated-and attractive " piece of Birmingham's townscape. These three elements are:- 1) St. Philip's Cathedral and churchyard. • 2) Colmore Row and Waterloo Street. 3) Victoria Square with the Town Hall and Council House. .. It is necessary to include also within the Conservation Area those buildings and streets which give visual support to the several parts of the central axis from Victoria Square to St. Philip's Churchyard. " '. • r . To designate this Conservation Area will give your/,- . • . Committee greater control in retaining one of its most - ; . concentrated areas of historical and architectural heritage. It would mean that the street patterns 'and external structure's of Colmore Row, Waterloo Street and Bennetts Hill with their-;..- buildings, many of which are listed, can be preserved and':-vt---;::'-.-"-. r enhanced. At the same time uses within these buildings.-,y/culd;'-" be adapted as time goes on to'contemporary, needs, internal- ;^ ;:

(i)

_-:' iX/.; v.'- ~.l^ =r"^S: (ii) alterations being carried out without affecting the external appearance of the buildings. Careful consideration will be given to street furniture, landscaping and advertisements within the area and if any changes of use are proposed these will be controlled to ensure compatibility with the area. In short the reasons v/hy I consider the area outlined on Plan No. PR..11101 suitable for designation as a conservation area are:- 1. The area contains the most important' collection of buildings in 'the City ranging from the early l8th century to the 1970's, Colmore Row itself is as fine a late 19th century business thoroughfare as can be found anywhere in the country. 3- The area has an existing scale and atmosphere wholly compatible with city centre users. By carefully selected improvement and controlled redevelopment the area can "be enhanced for their enjoyment. The larger measure of control which would be effected by so 'designating this area would ensure that the future development of streets and their frontages would be in sympathy with the existing scale and character, of the area. To preserve for .the City what is an exceptionally fine collection of the many styles of Victorian and Edwardian Architecture.

cp/ac CITY ENGINEER.& SURVEYOR us)

The City Planning Officer prtwnted the following Report: CITY OF BIRMINGHAM PLANNING DEPARTMENT

CONSERVATION AREAS ADVISORY COMMITTEE 12th March 1985 PLANNING COWITTEE 21st March 1985

Colmore Row and Environs Conservation Area - Proposed Extension

Introduction: Colmore Row and Environs was designated a Conservation Area on the 7th October, 1971. This includes Colmore Row, Waterloo Street, St. Philipte Cathedral and Churchyard and Victoria Square with the major civic buildings. Certain extensions were proposed and incorporated into the Birmingham Central Area District Plan (CADP) Written Statement of November, 1982: The facility for objections to be lodged relating to any proposal incorporated in the CADP formed the basis for the public participation exercise on the Extension of the Conservation Area. Details of Proposal: Three areas were proposed in the CADP Written Statement; these are as follows: Area 1 This broadly incorporates New Street, Stephenson Street "and Corporation Street, and totals 12 acres (5 hectares) adjoining the existing Conservation Area boundary to the south. Area 2 A small area of 0.3 acres (0.1 hectare), incorporating most of Chamberlain Square, but excluding the Central Library and Music College. This adjoins the existing Conservation Area to the east. Area 3 This area is to the north of the existing Conservation Area, in an area broadly covering Great Charles Street and Livery Street. It totals 7 acres (3 hectares). Public Participation: The CADP was placed on deposit on 10th November, 1982. Some 54 objections were received from 31 individuals or organisations. Following negotiations, only 11 were outstanding at the time of the Inquiry. A Public Local Inquiry was held on 10th, llth and 12th January, 1984 at Baskerville House. Two days of this Inquiry were related to Proposal ENVR 8, that is, the extension to Colmore Row and Environs Conservation Area. All objections were aimed specifically at the proposed extension to the north of the existing Conservation Area - defined in this report as Area 3» broadly covering the Great Charles Street/Livery Street area. These objections were made by substantial land owners affected by the extensions. They felt that the area was not of such architectural or historic interest as to warrant Conservation Area status, and that Conservation Area designation would make the achievement of Local Plan aics for this area more difficult. J b4 * ^ ^ 'T- ^ 1 -2-

V The Department of the Environment Inspector considered that the -historic interest of Area 3 could not be regarded as special, and although it does have a few Victorian buildings of some merit, the area when considered as a whole has neither sufficient architectural or historic interest or sufficient character to warrant designation as a Conservation Area. No objections were made to Areas 1 and 2 at the deposit of the Local Plan. Observations: Of the other two areas proposed, Area 2, a small extension to include Chamberlain Square in the Conservation Area, is an obviously appropriate extension to'protect the setting for the civic buildings which surround the Square, The largest area proposed for inclusion in the Conservation Area broadly encompasses New Street, Stephenson Street and Corporation Street, together with other roads of similar character such as the southern ends of Bennetts Hill, Temple Street, Needless Alley and Cannon Street. The area is largely of Victorian/early Edwardian architecture, containing a wide variety of commercial architecture of these eras, which are of particular group value. In addition, the upper office storeys of most of these buildings survived remarkably intact, although suffering considerable neglect, presumably in anticipation of redevelopment proposals. Great potential exists for the refurbishment of these buildings. Tn addition, a number of arcades still exist, as valuable and characteristic examples of Victorian shopping provision. "Area T represents the first view of the City Centre for the many visitors arriving by train. Its potential for creating a positive impact is therefore great. Sensitively cleaned and restored, these groups of buildings would register on the visitor as being a distinctive and prestigious area of the City Centre.

Pressures for redevelopment are considerable. In the near future, I shall present a report to Planning Committee on the development pressures in the City Centre, highlighting the main problems and conflicts facing developers and conservationists. It must be emphasised that Conservation Area status need not stifle economic or viable development proposals, nor is redevelopment entirely ruled .out in a Conservation Area. Conservation should be viewed as a dynamic and flexible process of environmental enhancement, rather than a static and fixed 'preservation1 declaration, as is sometimes feared. The area defined as Area 1, that is, incorporating New Street, Stephenson Street and Corporation Street, can therefore benefit from Conservation Area status. In the light of the Inspector's comments, your Committee agreed, on 19th April, 1984 and in adopting the"Central Area District Plan on 23rd August, 1984, not to give Area 3 Conservation Area status. However, your Committee's proposal to designate Areas 1 and 2 was unchanged. I therefore now make the following recommendation: -3-

RECQNMENDATTON:

CONSERVATION AREAS ADVISORY CONKETTEE That the views of your Committee on the proposals outlined in the foregoing report be invited, and the Planning Committee be advised accordingly.

PLANNING COMMITTEE That the Committee designate as an Extension to Colmore Row and Environs Conservation Area, under Section 277 of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1971, the sectors originally referred to as Areas 1 and 2, as more particularly delineated in the plan annexed to this report.

I/D/JMD/MR CITY PLANNING OFFICER PROPOSED EXTENSIONS to Colmore Row and Environs Conservation Area

\|\Quto*^vay \>

Proposed Extensions Existing Area Deleted Extension \\

25th July, 1985 v) Land adjoining 1 Compton Road, Erdinqton

251/ RESOLVED:- That the necessary action be taken, including the institution of legal proceedings, if required, to secure the discontinuance of the use of the premises as a builders yard at land adjoining 1 Compton Road, Erdington, as referred to in the report now submitted. vi) 772 Washwood Heath Road, Ward End RESOLVED:- That the necessary action be taken including the institution 5^1 of legal proceedings, if required, to secure the cessation of the u£e of the premises as a restaurant at 772 Wasnwood Heath Road, Ward End, as referred tc in the report now submitted. 3. Cornwall Buildings, 45 Newhall Street, City RESOLVED:- That the action of the City Planning Officer in agreement with the Chairman, Councillor Chapman, in approving the relocation of the Managing Agency Support Group fron the Brewnaster's House, 7 St. Peters' Place, City to Cornwall Buildings (part) , 45 Newhall Street, City on the terms detailed in the report now submitted negotiated by the City Estates Officer be noted; further that the City Solicitor be authorised to complete the necessary documents.

AUTHORITY TO CHAIRMAN AND OFFICERS RESOLVED:- That the Chairman, (or in his absence the Vice-Chairman) be and is hereby authorised to act until the next meeting of the Coimittee except in respect of transactions involving the creation of legal rights and obligations or expenditure in which cases the City Planning Officer (or in his absence the Assistant City Planning Officer (Development and Local Plans)) , or the City Treasurer as the case may require, are hereby authorised to act in agreement with the Chairman, and that the City Solicitor be authorised to affix the Corporate Seal to any document necessary to give effect to a decision of the said officers acting in pursuance of the power hereby delegated to them.

CHAIRMAN'S BUSINESS Colmore Row and Environs Conservation Area - Proposed extension Land bounded by Edmund Street, Livery Street, Cornwall Street and Church Street, City The following report of the City Planning Officer was submitted:- (See document No. 20) In connection with this matter the following Planning Brief for land bounded by Edmund Street, Livery Street, Cornwall Street and Church Street, City was also submitted:- (See document No. 21) The Assistant City Planning Officer (Development and Local Plans) reiterated the major points of the report now sutmitted.

- 707 - VI

25th .July, 1985 Merrbers generally considered that appropriate action be taken to retain, if possible, the facade of the buildings comprising Nos. 158 to 176 (evens) Edmund Street, 37 to 43 (odds) Church Street and 24 Livery Street, City. The Caimittee were also of the opinion that the Planning Brief would be of valuable assistance in the attempt to achieve high quality redevelopment within an area comprised of interesting buildings considered worthy of retention. Reference was irade by the Assistant City Planning Officer (Development and Local Plans) to the need to include within the Brief reference to the Chief Building Surveyor as a person to be consulted regarding the future use of the site. 2514 RESOLVED:- (i) That Nos. 158'- 176 (evens) Edmund Street, 37 -43 (odd) Church Street and 24 Livery Street and their curtilages be designated as an i extension to Colirore Row and Environs Conservation Area under Section 277 of • the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 and as indicated on Plan No. 26178; (ii) that the Development Brief for the Edmund Street/Livery Street/Cornwall Street/Church Street area be approved subject to any necessary amendments to reflect the designation of the extension of the conservation area in accordance with (i) above and to reflect Mentoers views on the retention of the building or at least their facades and; (iii) that the City Planning Officer be instructed to enter into imnediate negotiations with the developers with a view to seeking the retention and refurbishment of 160 - 170 Edmund Street and that in the event of this not being practicable a solution in accordance with the Planning Brief retaining the existing facade. Meeting ended at 1235 hours.

CHAIRMAN

_ 70R _ PLANHDC OOMCTTEg

BUSINESS

Golmore How and Ehvirons Conservation Area. - Proposed extension Introduction: At the meeting of 2nd My, 1985, your Cnmnrtttee resolved that i * public participation exercise be carried out with a view to formally 1 designating as an extension to Coljapre Bow and Ehvirons Conservation Area under Section 277 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971f numbers 158 .to 176 (evens) Edmund Street, 37 to 43 (odd) Church Street and 24 Livery Street. Details of Area: This area is all that remains of the City's printing, quarter which originally encompassed the Edmund Street/Livery Street/Church Street/ Great Charles Street block which largely consists of Victorian warehouses of the late 19th Century; only numbers 158 Edmund Street and 37 to 43 (odd) Church Street are Listed. Ch 30th April, 1985 I served a Building Preservation Notice in respect of numbers-160 to 170 (evens) Edmund Street as formal notification of their intended demolition had been received in the Department. I was advised on 19th July, that the Secretary of State has concluded that the buildings are not of sufficient interest to merit inclusion in the Statutory Listed Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. there is no formal appeal against this decision and in accordance with the requirements of Section 58 (5) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 I have advised the owners and occupiers of the building of the Secretary of State's decision. These buildings which are of group value do not therefore have any statutory protection. The Central Area Local Plan: The degree of control which your Committee may exercise over new development on such a site was of course the subject of extensive arguement during the Public Local Inquiry into the Central Area Local Plan in January, 1984. You may recall that the larger area proposed as an extension to the Colmore Row and Ehvirons Conservation Area, of which the Edmund Street block forms part, was not, in the view of the Inspector of such architectural or historic interest as to warrant Conservation Area status. 'The setting of other Listed Buildings adjoining or close by should always be a matter of special consideration when new development is under.consideration", the Inspector went on to say, nin any event the acquisition of greater control powers, whilst it nay well be a consequence of designat^ta, should not, in my view, be regarded as a major Justification for it." Your Committee subsequently accepted my recommendation |n April, 1984 that the proposed extension to the Colmore Row and Brairons Conservation Area to include the Great Charles Street and livery Street be deleted from the Central Area Local Plan,. . • ' -z - The Conservation Areas Advisory Committee considered tola matter at their June meeting and resolved (1) that the Planning Department's Conservation Building Surveyor be requested to examine the condition of the brickwork of 160 to 170 (evens) Edmund Street in the light of the developers statement that retention would not be possible because of weathering and other damage (Z) that a development brief of the complete block be prepared (3) that in the event of a survey proving satisfactory and in the light of the Development Brief proposals, the developer be requested to consider retention of the facades of the building* in Edmund Street if possible.(4) That.in the event of the building preservation order being not confirmed or if 160 to 170 (evens) Edmund Street are not included within the Conservation Aftea the developer be informed that this Committee would, have no objection to the sutmission of a modern scheme of development sympathetic to the existing buildings. The Conservation Building Surveyor subsequently inspected these Hidings reported, whilst 50% of the decorative brickwork was apalled it would be very easy to make good the damage and the only other problems appear to be relatively superficial. Public Participation: The response to the public participation exercise is indicated on the attached schedule." All the-owners of these buildings have made strong objection to their inclusion in the Conservation Area. They make the point that any designation will be a complete reversal of the policy approved in April, 1984. Two responses specifically state that bearing in mind there is no* Public Inquiry into a proposed Conservation Area, they indicate this may be a case which warrants the Judicial Review procedure. Observations: Your Conmittee have consistently attempted to preserve the Edmund treet properties and I have advised that, if possible, the facades should be incorporated in any redevelopment scheme - Ch the other hand, the Department of -the Environment has also been consistent in their approach to the area - against conservation. Nevertheless, the decision as to whether this area should be declared a Conservation Area does rest with your Committee. If declared the immediate effect would be to protect the existing properties and Listed Building Consent would be required for demolition, if not already commenced. (At the moment 160-170 (evens) Edmund Street could be demolished at any time). However, in determining such an application your Committee would need to have regard to Circular 12.81. In my J^iew it would be unrealistic to suppose that the designation of the Conservation Area would, of itself, ensure the preservation of these gildings, since it is unlikely that a refusal would be supported by the Secretary of State on appeal. The question of a possible claim for costs, the cost of a Public and /or the cost of any possible Judicial Review, are also factors your Committee would need to take Into consideration. *•' i3' of course» nost desirable that any redevelopment of the site ** of a hi*h Q1^11^ and sensitive in the relationship with the abiding at 158 Church Street and adjoining streets in terms of scale and material a and accordingly the Development Brief is with a separate report for your consideration. "IT you Committee agree to the planning brief it may be that you would also wish to adopt resolution 3 of the Conservation Areas Advisory Comntttee of 10th June and hold ijnoediate discussions with the owners and developers.

RECCWffiNDATlON: That your Conmittee consider the options set out in this report

CEH'/MAW