Planning Committee Cabinet Council Date of Meeting
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Committee: Planning Committee Cabinet Council Date of Meeting: 4th May 2011 26 th May 2011 7th July 2011 Title of Report: Birkdale Village Conservation Area Appraisal Report of: Alan Lunt, Director of Built Environment Contact Officer: Dorothy Bradwell Telephone 0151 934 3574 Yes No This report contains Confidential information ü Exempt information by virtue of paragraph(s) ……… of Part 1 ü of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 ü Is the decision on this report DELEGATED? Purpose of Report: To seek Committee’s, Cabinet’s and Council’s approval of the contents of the Birkdale Village Conservation Areas Appraisal and agreement to adopt the proposed amendments to the Conservation Area’s boundaries (Appendix 1). Recommendation(s): That Planning Committee: (i) Recommend to Cabinet that the Birkdale Village Conservation Area Appraisal be adopted as a material consideration in the determination of planning applications. (ii) Recommend to Cabinet that they approve the proposed amendments to the Conservation Area’s boundaries shown on the plan appended That Cabinet: (i) Recommends that Council adopts the Birkdale Village Conservation Area Appraisal as a material consideration in the determination of planning applications. (ii) Recommends that Council approves the proposed amendments to the Conservation Area’s boundaries shown on the plan appended, under Section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. That Council (i) Approves the proposed amendments to the Conservation Area’s boundaries shown on the plan appended, under Section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. (ii) Approves the proposed amendments to the Conservation Area’s boundaries shown on the plan appended, under Section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. Corporate Objectives Corporate Objective Impact Positive Neutral Negative 1 Regenerating the Borough through Partnership * 2 Raising the standard of Education & Lifelong Learning * 3 Promoting Safer and More Secure Communities * 4 Creating a Healthier, Cleaner & Greener Environment * through policies for Sustainable Development 5 Strengthening Local Democracy through Community * Participation 6 Promoting Social Inclusion, Equality of Access and * Opportunity 7 Improving the Quality of Council Services * Financial Implications None Departments consulted in the preparation of this Report Planning Department List of Background Papers relied upon in the preparation of this report Sefton UDP Planning Policy Statement 5: Planning for the Historic Environment English Heritage Guidance: Conservation area appraisals (2005). English Heritage Guidance: Understanding Place – Conservation Area Designation, Appraisal and Management (2011) Background Section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 places a statutory duty on local planning authorities to review the past exercise of functions under this section and to determine whether any parts or any further parts of their area should be designated as conservation areas; and, if so, designate those parts accordingly. Section 71 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 places a statutory duty on local planning authorities to prepare proposals for the preservation and enhancement for any conservation areas that they designate. In recognition of the above duties the draft Birkdale Village Conservation Area Appraisal has now been produced and undergone public consultation. The Birkdale Village Conservation area is confirmed to be historically significant as a Late Victorian/Edwardian commercial and civic centre. It developed amidst the rapidly expanding Victorian suburbs as a result of the relocation of the railway station. The appraisal identifies elements of the townscape which combine to give Birkdale Village its historic character. This will help inform development proposals, the development of planning policies and assist in making planning decisions. The format and scope of the appraisal is derived from the guidance provided by English Heritage. It also follows the format of the appraisals adopted previously. The contents page is provided in Appendix 2 The recommendations of the appraisal include proposals to alter the current boundaries of the Conservation Areas. Proposed boundary changes A plan showing the proposed changes to the boundary is given in Appendix 1. The conservation area is proposed to be part extended and part reduced. The extension to the area sees the inclusion of 13 Welbeck Road and 1&3 Walmer Road, on the basis that they belong to a building ‘group’ in the same street, where the remainder are already within the conservation area. Also proposed is the exclusion of 14 & 15 Claremont Gardens, as these were built recently, do not realte to the historic character of the area, and the boundary no longer relates to existing features. Public Consultation A public meeting was held on the 3 rd March 2011 at Birkdale Cricket Club. Residents, business owners and members of the public were invited to attend. The meeting was unfortunately not well attended however those who came along were very supportive of the proposals. Attendees were encouraged to put their comments about the document in writing. Of the 5 comments forms received, none were adverse to the document being produced and 4 positively welcomed it. Comments on the Appraisal Comments are outlined below, with the Council response in italics Birkdale Civic Society have raised a number of detailed issues • The need for future regulation of design changes to windows • The desirability of the Weld Parade bus shelter being replaced to match the others in the conservation area. • The desirability of street works being more closely controlled by the planning authority The control of the design of replacement windows could only be gained through bringing an Article 4 Direction into operation. This is not currently proposed. Improvements to the designs of bus shelters are included within the appraisal as an ‘opportunity for enhancement’. Street works are designed and controlled by other departments within the Council and only rarely require planning permission. Improvements in the quality and unity of street furniture are also raised as issues in ‘opportunities for enhancement’. Another respondent commented that the appraisal has helped them appreciate what is good about their home. A further respondent stated that they are pleased that the Council is interested in preserving the area’s historic qualities. Comments on Boundary Changes One respondent questioned the need to retain the vacant land behind 51 Weld Road, and the poorly designed sites such as Carnegie Court, Weld Parade and 61 Alma Road-23 Liverpool Road in the conservation area, as these would be desirable to replaced, and should not be conserved. The sites of Carnegie Court and Weld Parade and the land behind 51 Weld Parade were originally included in the conservation area as views into and out of the area are important to its character. Additionally the Weld Road sites were the location of the civic buildings in Birkdale. Their continued inclusion in the Conservation Area is therefore considered appropriate; the text of the appraisal has been revised to better explain the extent of the boundaries at 7.3.1. The continued inclusion of the site 61 Alma Road-23 Liverpool Road in the conservation area does not prevent its redevelopment. It has been identified in the appraisal as a site which has a negative impact on the character of the area. Following these comments the appraisal has been revised to make clearer that redevelopment of sites identified as having a ‘negative contribution’ would be welcomed where new development would enhance the area. A list of the amendments which have been made to the document from its Draft form is appended to the Appraisal document. The full detailed Conservation Area Appraisal is available to view on request to Dorothy Bradwell – [email protected] or 0151-934-3574. Once adopted the appraisals will be published on the Sefton Council website. Appendix 1: Proposed alterations to Boundaries of Birkdale Village Conservation Area Appendix 2: Birkdale Village Conservation Area Appraisal Contents Page PREFACE ..................................................................................................................................................5 LEGISLATIVE BACKGROUND ........................................................... ERROR ! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED . POLICY FRAMEWORK ...................................................................... ERROR ! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED . HOW STATUS AFFECTS PLANNING DECISIONS ..........................................................................................6 NEED FOR AN APPRAISAL ........................................................................................................................6 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................. ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. 1.1 BACKGROUND ..............................................................................................................................7 1.2 SCOPE AND STRUCTURE OF THE STUDY ........................................................................................7 1.3 EXTENT OF THE CONSERVATION AREA .........................................................................................8 1.4 SURVEY ........................................................................................................................................9