Rochford Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan

Rochford District Council May 2007 Local Development Framework Evidence Base Rochford Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan LDF Evidence Base Rochford District Council Cantonese Gujarati Spanish 如果你需要放大,盲 Si desea esta información impresa en letra grande, 文資訊或者不同語言的 Braille o en otro idioma, 版本請聯絡 01702 546 366 por favor llame al teléfono 01702 546 366 Urdu Portugese Caso necessite desta informação em impressão maior, em Braille ou noutra língua, por favor contacte 01702 546 366 Shona Kana uchida ruzivo, kana tsananguro iyi yakanyorwa nemavara makuru, kana kuthi yakanyorwa nerurimi rwemapofu, kana nerumwe rurimi, kana umwe mufauro sununguka kuti taurira parunare ronoti 01702 546 366 If you would like this information in large print, Braille or another language please contact 01702 546 366 Under S.71 of the Planning (Listed Buildings & Conservation Areas) Act 1990, the local planning authority has a duty from time to time to formulate and publish proposals for the preservation and enhancement of any parts of their area which are conservation areas. Under S.39 of the Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the local planning authority has a duty, when exercising its functions, to contribute towards achieving sustainable development. Under S.40 of the Natural Environment & Rural Communities Act 2006, the local planning authority has a duty, when exercising its functions, to conserve biodiversity. This document was produced by Essex County Council for Rochford District Council. Contributions to this document were made by the following officers in the Essex County Council Historic Buildings Section: David Andrews BA, IHBC Robin Carpenter With document production by Cathryn Thaiss and Rochford District Council. The Council carried out public consultation on a draft version of this document from the beginning of January until 23rd February 2007. Publicity included press releases, information on display at the Council Offices in Rayleigh and Rochford, as well as headline information on the Council’s website. The final appraisal has been prepared having regard to the results of this consultation exercise. © Essex County Council and Rochford District Council 2007 Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Character statement 1 3. Statutory protection within the conservation area 2 4. Planning and planning policies 5 5. Origins and development 7 Location and landscape setting 7 Historical development 8 Rochford Hall 10 Rochford in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries 12 Rochford Hospital 15 6. Materials and detailing 17 7. Uses of buildings and space within the conservation area 20 8. Character zones and spatial interrelationships 23 9. Area analysis 24 Hall Road 24 Ashingdon Road 29 South Street 31 Bradley Way 38 Locks Hill and the Back Lane car park 39 Back Lane 40 West Street and Market Square 41 North Street 53 Old Ship Lane 59 Weir Pond Road 60 East Street 61 Millview Meadows and Lever Lane 65 10. Evaluation of the contribution of individual buildings to the conservation 66 area 11. Change in the conservation area and current planning proposals 69 12. Management proposals 70 Rochford station 70 Traffic and pedestrianisation 70 Public open space 73 Backlands and car parking 73 Redevelopment 74 Signs and advertisements 74 Street scene, boundary treatments and soft landscaping 74 Additional planning controls 75 Boundary changes 75 Bibliography 76 Appendix 1 Listed buildings in the conservation area 77 1. Introduction 1.1 Rochford is an old market town which still preserves its original character despite being located in the shadow of the Southend conurbation. Its survival is in many ways a triumph of the planning system, as well as of individual and collective pride of place. 1.2 The conservation area was designated in 1969. Originally it covered the historic town centre, but it has since been extended to include the backlands east of South Street and north of West Street, and also the area west of the town covering the station, the parish church, and Rochford Hall, a Tudor mansion now partially demolished. 1.3 Conservation areas are ‘Areas of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance’ (Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990). They were introduced by the Civic Amenities Act of 1967. Local authorities have a duty to designate conservation areas, to formulate policies for their preservation and enhancement, and to keep them under review. 1.4 Government Planning Policy Guidance 15, Planning and the Historic Environment, emphasises that character of conservation areas derives not simply from the quality of individual buildings, but also depends on ‘the historic layout of property boundaries and thoroughfares; on a particular “mix” of uses; on characteristic materials; on appropriate scaling and detailing of contemporary buildings; on the quality of advertisements, shop fronts, street furniture and hard and soft surfaces; on vistas along streets and between buildings; and on the extent to which traffic intrudes and limits pedestrian use of space between buildings’ (para. 4.2). 2. Character Statement 2.1 Rochford is a modest but exceptionally well preserved market town centred on a cross-roads. Founded in 1257, there is little evidence today in the fabric of its buildings for its medieval past. The street plan is another matter: the axial roads, the infilled market place, Back Lane, and the irregular frontages are all features inherited from its medieval layout. Around the road junction, along the three main axial streets, there is a picturesque historic core consisting mostly of brick and weatherboarded buildings of 18th- to 19th-century appearance. Imposing brick town houses occur in South Street and the east end of West Street, whilst rows of one-and-a-half storey cottages are characteristic of the west end of West Street and much of North Street and elsewhere. No other Essex town preserves so many cottages of this type. At its edges are 20th- century suburban development, whilst to the west there are large areas of open space round the parish church and old manorial centre of Rochford Hall, where there is a golf course. The condition of the buildings in the conservation area is mostly good, in part the result of successful grant schemes over the last 30 years. 1 3. Statutory protection within the conservation area 3.1 The west half of Rochford Hall (the part which is not used by the Golf Club) is a scheduled ancient monument protected under the 1979 Ancient Monuments Act. There are about 70 listed buildings in the conservation area (Fig. 1; Appendix 1). This large number is in part the result of a survey made by the late Mike Wadhams in the 1970s which was used for the accelerated resurvey of listed buildings in the 1980s. Most of the frontages of South Street and West Street are listed, and many buildings in North Street are too. The dates given in the list descriptions are often rather approximate. When it becomes possible to examine them in detail, many buildings with timber frames concealed by brickwork or render may well prove to be older than the dates indicated in the list descriptions. An example is Horners Corner where a 16th-century frame was found behind 18th- and 19th-century brickwork. The low cottages which are such a feature of Rochford are a class of building which has not been closely studied. They seem to have been built c.1600-1800. The 18th-century date generally assigned to them may well be too narrow. In preparing this report, there has been no fresh assessment of buildings or their date. 3.2 The Roach Valley Way enters the conservation area at its south-east corner. It then follows the roads to the north and west before linking up with Iron Well Lane. At the eastern edge of the golf course, a north-south public right of way follows an old field boundary. Other footpaths lead off from it across the golf course, one going through the churchyard. 3.3 The western part of the conservation area, including the station, is green belt, and within the Roach Valley Conservation Zone. 2 Fig. 1 Rochford town centre, map showing statutory designations within the conservation area. 3 Page intentionally left blank 4 4. Planning and planning policies 4.1 Rochford District Replacement Local Plan was issued in its second deposit draft form in May 2004 and is expected to be adopted in 2006. Its objectives include the conservation and enhancement of the natural and built environments, and the encouragement of good design. Conserving and enhancing the District’s heritage, particularly in the centres of Rayleigh and Rochford, is identified as a priority in the context of the Thames Gateway. 4.2 The Replacement Local Plan contains a series of policies (BC1-4) formulated to ensure the preservation of the special character of the conservation areas and to promote good design within them. In some ways, these policies are less comprehensive than those in the previous Local Plan. The list of local buildings of architectural or historic importance (Appendix 8 in the previous Plan) has, for instance, been dropped. 4.3 A 1999 study of the local pattern of retail activity revealed a leakage of expenditure outside the District. The local planning authority wants to check this to maintain the viability and vitality of the town centres. The 1999 study was intended to assess whether Rochford could support a large supermarket, and if so of what size. A site north of West Street on the former hospital has been identified for this use (policy SAT2) and is currently being developed. 4.4 The primary shopping area identified in the local plan is centred on the Market Square, but includes most of West Street and a small part of North Street.

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