St Columb Major Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Management Proposals March 2010 The St Columb Major Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Proposals were commissioned by Restormel Borough Council. It was endorsed by Restormel Borough Council’s Policy and Scrutiny Committee 4 and Cabinet in April 2007 and was subsequently endorsed by Cornwall Council as a material consideration within the emerging Cornwall Council Local Development Framework on 24 April 2010. The recommended changes to the boundaries of St Columb Major Conservation Area were authorised by Cornwall Council and came into effect on 24 April 2010. This document has been written on behalf of Restormel Borough Council by: The Conservation Studio, 1 Querns Lane, Cirencester, Glos GL7 1RL Tel: 01285 642428 Email: [email protected] PART 1 CHARACTER APPRAISAL Page 1 Summary 1 1.1 The St Columb Major Conservation Area 1 1.2 Key positive and negative features 1 1.3 Key Recommendations 3 2 Introduction 5 2.1 Designation of the conservation area 5 2.2 The purpose of a conservation area character appraisal 5 2.3 The background to this document 5 2.4 Public consultation 5 2.5 The planning policy context 6 2.6 Other initiatives 6 3 Location and landscape setting 7 3.1 Location and activities 7 3.2 Topography and geology 7 3.3 Relationship of the conservation area to its surroundings 9 4 Archaeology and historical development 10 4.1 Archaeology 10 4.2 Historical development 11 5 Spatial analysis 16 5.1 Plan form and layout 16 5.2 Landmarks, focal points and views 18 5.3 Open spaces, trees and landscape 19 5.4 Public realm 21 6 The buildings of the conservation area 25 6.1 Building types 25 6.2 Listed buildings 28 6.3 Positive buildings 29 6.4 Building materials and local details 30 6.5 Historic shopfronts 33 7 The character of the conservation area 35 7.1 Character Area 1: Bridge 35 7.2 Character Area 2: Town Centre 38 7.3 Character Area 3: Fore Street and Fair Street 42 8 Issues 45 8.1 Key positive features 45 8.2 Key negative features 45 8.3 Key Issues 45 PART 2 MANAGEMENT PROPOSALS Page 9 The need for Management Proposals 47 10 Recommendations 48 10.1 Regeneration Strategy 48 10.2 Public Realm 49 10.3 Promotion of St Columb Major 50 10.4 Traffic Management 50 10.5 Shopfronts 51 10.6 Specific enhancement projects 52 10.7 Tree Management Guidance 53 10.8 Cattle Market site 53 10.9 Positive buildings 53 10.10 Article 4 Direction 54 10.11 Conservation Area Boundary Review 55 11 Monitoring and review 58 12 Bibliography 59 13 Contacts 60 PART 1 CHARACTER APPRAISAL 1 SUMMARY 1.1 The St Columb Major Conservation 1.2 Key positive and negative features Area This Character Appraisal of the St Columb St Columb Major Conservation Area Major Conservation Area concludes that encompasses an historic settlement the key positive and negative features of with a high concentration of listed the conservation area are as follows: buildings based around the grade I listed St Columba’s Church, the Market Place Key positive features: and Union Square. Narrow twisting streets with continuous frontages form Historic town with interesting the core of the conservation area, with buildings, many of them dating to the less densely developed streets towards last 400 years; the rural hamlet of Bridge, to the north, St Columba’s Church (of 14th century and the long terraces of positive historic origins) and its churchyard provide buildings which line Fore Street and Fair an attractive centrepiece; Street, to the south. Around the town are The town centre has winding, narrow open fields and the dramatic well-treed streets with a high concentration of valley of the river Menalhyl. listed buildings; View over the valley of the river Menalhyl from St Columba’s churchyard Fore Street St Columba’s Church Character Appraisal and Management Proposals March 2010 1 The Market Place and Union Square are informal open spaces within this street pattern; Fore Street, Fair Street and Bank Street represent an early, possibly 12th century, expansion of the town centre, with back lanes; Rural qualities of the Bridge area, with mainly detached 19th century houses and the mill, located along the valley of the river Menalhyl; Use of local stone and slate, particularly slate-hanging for walls; Some of the buildings in the conservation area are in A number of significant buildings by urgent need of repairs (Fore Street) 19th century architects William White and Silvanus Trevail; Attractive landscape setting for the town, especially to the west and north; Location close to the tourist centres of Padstow and Newquay, and the surfing beach at Mawgan Porth; Strong sense of a local community. Key negative features: Many buildings in a poor state of repair, especially some key buildings in the town centre; Use of modern materials and poor quality repairs; Shops have closed and businesses relocated, reducing facilities and Union Square - improvements needed resulting in a lack of vitality in the town centre; Few restaurants, cafes or shops; Little encouragement to tourists and visitors; Poor quality public realm; Dominant overhead wiring; Narrow pavements and perception of a car-dominated environment; Busy traffic, much of it looking for car parking; Vehicular access into and out of the town is difficult; Lack of visitor interpretation and signage for the town; Local perception that nothing can be done to improve St Columb Major. The town Centre is dominated by traffic (Fore Street) St Columb Major Conservation Area March 2010 2 1.3 Key recommendations Traffic management: The Management Proposals for the St Prepare a Traffic Management Strategy Columb Major Conservation Area make the for St Columb Major – suggested following key recommendations: actions to be considered: o Connect Union Hill to A39 Regeneration: bypass; o Provide new car park to serve Prepare a Regeneration Strategy town centre; for St Columb Major, particularly o Traffic calm town centre, include to encourage new businesses and widening pavements; investment in the town centre; o Consider part-time Carry out a detailed Buildings-At-Risk pedestrianisation scheme; survey, in line with English Heritage o Consider traffic controls in Fore recommendations; Street. Establish a focused grant scheme, such as The Heritage Lottery Fund’s General enhancements: Townscape Heritage Initiative, to improve the buildings in the Implement specific enhancement conservation area; projects, including: Consider establishing a Town Centre o Improve Market Place, Fore Manager for the duration of the Street and Union Square; Regeneration Strategy implementation o Restore the cast iron railings to period, with premises in the Market the Market Place frontage of St Place area which will act as a focal Columba’s Church; point for all inquiries. o Underground overhead telephone and electricity wires; Public realm: Prepare guidance for owners of trees in the conservation area; Approach fund holders, such as the Prepare a Shopfront Guidance leaflet, RDA, to see if grant-aid is available; specifically for St Columb Major. Agree a Public Realm Strategy to address: o Street lighting; o Pavements and street surfaces; o Street furniture – litter bins, seating and signage; o Materials and details; Using the Public Realm Strategy, prepare a public spaces enhancement scheme for the town centre. Promotion of St Columb Major: Initiate a study of ways in which tourists could be attracted into St Columb Major, including the production of a Heritage Trail around the town and the immediate surrounding countryside. Improvements are needed to the town centre Character Appraisal and Management Proposals March 2010 3 New development: Ensure that any development on the o Roofs and roof materials; former Cattle Market site responds o Windows and doors; to its context in terms of scale, o Walls - stone, render and slate density and architectural form; also hanging. that any planning permission is allied Conservation area boundary review: to the restoration and re-use of the former Cattle Market Offices, a key (i) Add properties in the lane positive building. connecting Bridge to The Retreat; (ii) Add buildings around the Cattle Control of unlisted buildings: Market and in Station Road; (iii) Amend the boundary to the Cornwall Council will resist west of Fair Street to follow property applications to demolish buildings boundaries. identified as Positive on the Townscape Appraisal map, and will ensure that any alterations or extensions are very carefully designed and detailed; The Cornwall Council could consider serving an Article 4 Direction to control changes to family dwellings, and could prepare guidance for residents to include: o The control of front boundaries; o The use of traditional An Article 4 Direction would help to control inappropriate materials and details; alterations to unlisted buildings in the conservation area (Fore Street) The Cattle Market is a key site in the town St Columb Major Conservation Area March 2010 4 2 INTRODUCTION 2.1 Designation of the conservation defining the special interest of the St area Columb Major Conservation Area in Part 1 and outlining management proposals for its The St Columb Major Conservation Area preservation and enhancement in Part 2. was designated in 1976 by Restormel Borough Council. The conservation area Although designed to be an inclusive encompasses the town centre, with its as possible, no appraisal can ever be medieval church, public houses, shops completely comprehensive and the and Town Hall; the residential suburb of omission of any particular building, feature Bridge to the north, defined by the valley or space should not be taken to imply that of the river Menalhyl; and, to the south, it is of no interest. the mainly residential properties along Fore Street and Fair Street, terminating in 2.3 Background to this document the former Cattle Market.