Salisbury House Under Threat the Council Has Just Requested a Review of the Early Seventeenth Century Grade II* Listed Salisbury House
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TES News No 187 • Autumn 2012 The newsletter of The Enfield Society Salisbury House under threat The Council has just requested a review of the early seventeenth century grade II* listed Salisbury House. The report will detail the current condition of the house, consider any necessary repairs and “analyse what the challenges and opportunities are for the house” says a Council spokesman. Apparently current users and local groups have already been consulted – though no-one from the consultancy partnership has approached the Enfield Society yet. The house is one of the oldest examples of domestic architecture in Enfield and all that remains of the ancient village around Bury St. It is a gabled timber framed building finished with lath and plaster, and was originally moated. Internally, while having been much changed, some interesting features remain such as the Queen Anne fireplace The east side of Salisbury House, and a false chimney stack that may have photographed by Stanley Smith, 26th October 1992 contained a priest’s hole. It was listed as Grade II* in 1954. site in the house new hirers are being Cecil Road car park site discouraged. Despite a thorough search of the Council website I was unable to This is a development area adjoining the locate any information about hiring the completed Evangelical Free Church house or what was available there except where there is a need for a brief to guide an inaccurate telephone number which prospective purchasers. Together with the directed me to Forty Hall. A potential Conservation Areas Advisory Group we hirer would have to be very persistent and have objected to the first two versions to have prior knowledge of the building’s produced by Enfield Council. The existence – so it will be no surprise to Society has always been concerned that find that the Centre is running at a loss. in any future development of this long- vacant site the vista linking the Town As it is not in a conservation area it has Park to Cecil Road should be maintained. less protection than many less historic Our understanding was that any plans buildings. (English Heritage is even would incorporate a main entrance to the currently refusing to allow the demolition park at least eight metres wide and the of the old 1960s flats in Forty Hill Society has promised £10,000 towards because they are in a conservation area any tree planting to enhance the approach and it may set a precedent). The users of – this has been available for the past ten the building would find it difficult to find years at least. premises elsewhere and Enfield certainly cannot afford to lose one of its most The first version referred to a maximum The north elevation of Salisbury House, beautiful and unusual historic buildings of eight metres and the accompanying as shown in our publication: which is currently usefully employed. plan showed a much narrower passage Enfield’s Architectural Heritage. The Enfield Society very much hopes that between the church and a row of town houses. We found the second version still It is now used as an Arts Centre, the recommendations are positive and the too congested, with a block of flats something which was developed the last Council can find the money and the will across the front and seven town houses time the building was under threat in to implement them. behind, with limited amenity and parking 1957. However it seems that this side is The report is expected in the next few space already being run down: current hirers weeks. are continuing but as no-one is now on Janet McQueen Chris Jephcott 1 Conservation Green Belt protection Green Belt review Shopping centre gates does not depend on the The Society continues to meet with the Less welcome is the astonishing recent Council regularly – something which we application on behalf of Palace Exchange quality of the landscape find very useful and which I think is to put heavy metal gates across all the The government has confirmed that helpful to the Council too. At the last entrances to the shopping centre, to be “quality of the landscape” is not a meeting we discussed some of the changes open only between 9 am and 5.30 pm on factor in determining whether Green to the green belt proposed in the Local weekdays and Saturdays and between Belt land should continue to be Development Framework. Appendix 1: 10 am and 4 pm on Sundays and Bank protected under the new National Draft Detailed Green Belt Boundary Holidays. With no justification, the Review which is open for a six-week Planning Policy Framework. If the applicant none the less claims that the consultation period ending on 5th landscape is of poor quality local gates, in grey metal with stainless steel September. The documents can be elements, complemented by boarded authorities should look for accessed* at fence sections, would harmonise with the opportunities to improve it. <tinyurl.com/EnfieldGreenBelt> contemporary design of the precinct, In a letter to the President of the and comments can be sent to recognise the built heritage and also bear London Green Belt Council, Bob Neill, <[email protected]>. recognition of the mediaeval origins of Parliamentary Under Secretary of State We objected to the removal from the Enfield! in the Department for Communities Green Belt of the corner of land north of This is in the so-called Conservation and Local Government, wrote: Bullsmoor Lane and bounded by the A10, Statement. What it does not do is M25 and the New River, described at item “The Government attaches great recognise that in the course of the 14 in the consultation document. This will negotiations on the original Palace importance to the Green Belt. The leave the possibility of building just across published Framework underlines the Exchange planning application great the New River from Capel Manor. We got stress was laid on the importance of crucial role Green Belts play in the impression that our objections were keeping the pedestrian link to Cecil Road preventing urban sprawl, and not considered sufficient for this proposal along the line of former Sydney Road maintains the policy protection set out to be withdrawn. open for the majority of the time. In Janet McQueen in Planning Policy Guidance Note 2 visual and functional terms this would be (PPG2) – which the Framework (*We have created a “tinyurl” redirection highly damaging to the attractiveness and replaces – that inappropriate address for this page because the Enfield vitality of Enfield Town and we have development is by definition harmful to Council’s web page addresses are too long and cumbersome to print and type into a web registered our strong opposition. the Green Belt, and should not be browser. – Ed.) approved, except in very special Forty Hall circumstances. Lighting in Enfield Town The question of the new vehicular access “The London Green Belt Council has Items considered by the Conservation Advisory Group include new ‘heritage’ and enlarged car park at Forty Hall expressed concern that the Framework lighting for Enfield Town Church Street. remains unresolved, but the restoration of does not specify that the quality of Unfortunately because of the increased the house is stupendous none the less.. landscape is not relevant to the weight of the new lanterns, it is no longer inclusion of land within a Green Belt, possible to attach them directly to Trent Park or to its continued protection. This is buildings. There will have to be separate With the university site up for sale because the “purposes” of Green Belt standards, one in the position of each Enfield Council have produced a brief to are clearly set out at paragraph 80 of hanging basket support. Presumably the guide prospective purchasers on what the Framework (and do not include the support brackets could be attached to the development would be acceptable in this quality of the landscape), therefore new columns. We regret this decision but listed building complex within the there was no need to have additional have to accept the view of the engineers. Conservation Area, to correct any false explanatory text. As with PPG2, the The Crescent, Edmonton impression that might have been given by Framework also makes clear that once Very welcome were proposals to improve the University. Though it notes the Green Belts have been defined, local the striking, listed, but long neglected desirability of removing some of the most planning authorities should plan crescent of 25 houses in Hertford Road. damaging elements of the 1970s positively to enhance the beneficial use Enfield Council and Newlon Housing extensions, such as the disastrously sited of the Green Belt (set out at paragraph Association, which owns 12 of the music room, cutting off the Humphrey 81). This would include looking for houses, plan to provide a new dwarf wall Repton vista from the Long Garden, and opportunities to retain and enhance with railings for the front boundary, with the Jebb Building extension to the mansion, we would prefer to see this as landscapes and to improve damaged general repairs. To the rear there would an explicit requirement. and derelict land. be new fencing and areas for parking and bin storage and the access road would be “The published Framework is resurfaced. Reinstating the original front Enfield Town and Chase Side available on the Department for carriage drive would be ideal but Conservation Area Study Group Communities and Local Government’s impractical. Also ideal would be to We are very pleased that Caroline Carter website at: complete the terrace by replacing the has taken over the leadership of a <www.communities.gov.uk/publications/ petrol station at the northern end.