CHARACTER APPRAISAL OF ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION AREAS IN COUNTY 'S HERITAGE TOWNS

TERMS OF REFERENCE

April 2021

An Action of the Heritage Plan Funded by Donegal & The Heritage Council 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Context County Donegal has a rich and varied architectural and built heritage. There are 466 Protected Structures in County Donegal and two Architectural Conservation Areas (Ecclesiastical Quarter ACA in and Bayview ACA in ) although there are circa 3,000 structures included in the first National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and eligible for statutory protection. The Donegal County Development Plan (2018-2024) contains policy commitments “to continue to protect the built heritage fabric of the County by identifying appropriate Architectural Conservation Area designations” (BH-P-14), “to preserve, protect and enhance the special built character and functions of the ‘Heritage Towns’ of Ardara, , Moville, Ramelton and Raphoe” (BH-P-15) and “to protect and enhance the built and historical heritage of the county (including structures on the RPS, NIAH, recorded monuments, heritage towns and battlefield sites) as an important element of the County’s overall tourism product” (TOU-O-11).

An Architectural Conservation Area is ‘a place, area, group of structures or townscape, taking account of building lines and heights, that is of special architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical interest or that contributes to the appreciation of a Protected Structure, and whose character it is an objective of a development plan to preserve’. The identification of, and the development of character appraisals and area-specific policies for, Architectural Conservation Areas in County Donegal’s five Heritage Towns will assist in the designation of ACAs by Donegal County Council when the County Development Plan is being reviewed in order to protect, preserve and enhance the character of these areas.

The selected methodology for identifying Architectural Conservation Areas and establishing character appraisals of these areas in our Heritage Towns draws upon existing documentary sources, cartographic evidence, built heritage material analysis and local knowledge. The methodology will draw upon approaches to investigating and communicating the character of areas and neighbourhoods by Richard Guise & James Webb (2018)1 and place values by Colm Murray (2016)2.

There are five towns in County Donegal that are promoted as ‘Heritage Towns’ by Donegal County Council and Fáilte Ireland: Ardara, Ballyshannon, Moville, Ramelton & Raphoe. In County Donegal, Bord Fáilte initiated the ‘Heritage Towns’ scheme under the European Regional Development Fund Initiative (1995-1999). Two ‘Heritage Towns’ in County Donegal were designated and marketed under this project: Ardara (with a theme of weaving) and Ramelton (with a theme of Georgian port or town). Donegal County Council designated the five ‘Heritage Towns’ of Ardara, Ballyshannon, Moville, Ramelton and Raphoe in 2000. The designation of ‘Heritage Town’ does not afford these towns any statutory protection but it is intended

1 Guise, R. & Webb, J (2018) Characterising Neighbourhoods: Exploring Local Assets of Community Significance (London: Routledge). 2 Murray, C. (2016) “Why do we conserve special places?”, ‘Landscape Values: Place and Praxis’ Conference, National University of Ireland - Galway: https://www.slideshare.net/ColmMurray/colm-murray-why-do-we-conserve-special-places-place-as-praxis-paper-incl-illus to have the dual effect of helping to conserve the built heritage and of promoting these towns.

1.2 Objective This initiative contributes to the achievement of following actions in the County Donegal Heritage Plan: "Raise awareness and celebrate the heritage of Historic Towns and Heritage Towns and their shared public spaces” (Action 1.4); “Promote awareness of historic buildings and structures and their settings listed in the Record of Protected Structures and/or on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage” (Action 1.12) and “Undertake a study of Heritage/Historic Town(s) and explore opportunities to develop their heritage potential” (Action 5.1). The proposed initiative on Architectural Conservation Areas in County Donegal’s Heritage Towns addresses the following Strategic Objectives in the Heritage Council Strategic Plan: “Advocate for the strong contribution heritage can make in the regeneration of urban and rural landscapes” (Strategic Objective 2i) and “Develop proposals to improve the quality of heritage management including . . . conservation” (Strategic Objective 2viii).

1.3 Aims & Outputs The aim of this Heritage Plan action is to produce a report that for each of the five Heritage Towns includes a: (i) detailed architectural survey3 that identifies and maps the boundaries of potential Architectural Conservation Area(s) and undertakes a character appraisal of proposed Architectural Conservation Area(s) including key structures, streetscapes and open areas; (ii) brief historical analysis of the development and character of each Heritage Town and proposed Architectural Conservation Area(s); (iii) detailed, written description of the character of each of the selected ACAs4 that include its setting, the building materials used, construction techniques of structures and surfaces that contribute to the area’s character, photographs and drawings as appropriate, and an appraisal of each area that addresses buildings, public domain, open space, street furniture, vegetation and signage; and (iv) conservation strategy (including objectives and policies) for each of the proposed Architectural Conservation Areas to include an identification of current threats, justification for ACA boundaries, guidance for owners and occupiers aimed at preventing damage and encouraging appropriate sustainable development/enhancement in or adjacent to the selected ACAs. Issues to be addressed include the types of works that would impact on the character of the ACAs (and therefore require planning permission) and general guidance on appropriate new build, amalgamation of structures, demolition, boundary treatments, external lighting, street furniture, vegetation and views.

The process will be informed by the Architectural Heritage Protection Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2004), the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, Town Renewal Plans (1999) and the Donegal Traditional Shop Fronts & Signage (2019).

3 Existing sources of information to complement proposed field survey include the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, Record of Protected Structures and Town Renewal Plans (1999). 4 The character appraisal should acknowledge the focus on ‘place’ in the Burra Charter and the European Landscape Convention. 2. RESPONSE TO TERMS OF REFERENCE

Proposals in response to these terms of reference should set out how the study will be approached, methodology, and any other relevant matters. The proposal should include:

2.1 Required Skills and Experience Proposals should contain clear details of the skills and experience of the researcher(s) including CV(s). Details should also be given of the relevant experience including examples of previous relevant work.

2.2 Method statement and timetable The researcher(s) shall furnish a method statement and timetable regarding the delivery of the work. It is expected that the proposal will include:

2.2.1 Method statement: including methodology, format, production and a detailed timetable.

2.2.2 A Resource Plan: showing the breakdown of person hours and costs.

3. GENERAL ISSUES

3.1 Timescale The project will start in May 2021 and will be completed by Monday, November 1, 2021. The researcher(s) appointed must be in a position to begin immediately once appointed.

3.2 Project Management A steering committee comprising representatives of the County Donegal Heritage Forum will guide the development of this project. Day-to-day contact will be with the Heritage Officer.

3.3 Budget The maximum budget for this Heritage Plan action is €22,000 excluding VAT. Please quote proposed costs excluding and including VAT.

3.4 The researcher(s) shall effect and maintain insurance necessary to cover their liabilities under this Heritage Plan action.

3.5 Copyright and Confidentiality The researcher(s) will be required to assign copyright of the content to Donegal County Council. Copyright for any maps, photographs, illustrations or other material used should be cleared by the researcher(s). The report will be made available to the public on the Donegal County Council website.

3.6 Freedom of Information Donegal County Council operates under the Freedom of Information Act 1997 and all information held by the Council (including proposals submitted in response to this brief) may be subject to requests under the Act.

3.7 Evaluation & Selection Evaluation of proposals will be based on the ability of the researcher(s) to deliver the skills and outputs detailed above within the specified timeframe. Interviews may be held with selected candidates prior to the final evaluation. Donegal County Council is not obliged to accept any proposal or the proposal with the lowest bid, and no person making a submission will be remunerated for any expense incurred in preparing a submission. It is envisaged that the successful researcher(s) will demonstrate: (i) knowledge of architectural heritage, cultural landscape and planning and their documentary sources (20%); (ii) proven experience of undertaking archival and historical research, interrogation of heritage data, field survey, cartographic representation, photo- documentation and built heritage material analysis (15%); (iii) an ability to liaise with key stakeholders (10%); (iv) a clear approach to the achievement of the aims and outputs of this study in the proposed methodology (40%); (v) experience of writing a clear, concise and engaging narrative account for a general audience and provision of detailed timetable with key tasks and milestones to complete the study (10%); and (vi) competitive price (5%). The decision of the evaluation panel will be final.

3.8 Closing Date E-mailed submissions to [email protected] will be accepted prior to the closing date. Alternatively, written submissions should be sent to:

Character Appraisal of Heritage Town ACAs, c/o Joseph Gallagher, Heritage Officer, County Donegal Heritage Office, Donegal County Council, Station Island, , County Donegal.

The closing date for receipt of proposals is 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Proposals cannot be accepted after this deadline.