HERITAGE ASSESSMENT HOLME GRANGE SCHOOL
PLANNING APPLICATION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW CLASSROOM BUILDING
APPLICATION REF 181913
PLANNING AND LISTED BUILDING APPLICATION – NEW GARDEN STEPS
APPLICATION REFERENCES 181913, 181914
SITE
Holme Grange School Heathlands Road Wokingham RG40 3AL
REPORT BY
Patrick Ettwein DipArch RIBA FRSA Architect and Consultant 40 Westholm London NW11 6LH
Architect and Consultant
07957 370435 020 8455 8953 [email protected]
OCTOBER 2018 REF HG/02 V2 CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION 2. SITE DEVELOPMENT CHRONOLOGY 3. LOCATION AND SETTING- HISTORIC AND CURRENT OS MAP 4. HOLME GRANGE -THE LISTED BUILDING 5. HOLME GRANGE – LISTING CITATION 6. NORMAN SHAW 7. THE PROPOSED CLASSROOM BUILDING 8. IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL ON THE HERITAGE ASSET 9. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 10. PROPOSED NEW EXTERNAL STEPS LEADING TO THE ADVNETURE PLAYGROUND 11. REFERENCE TO LISTED BUILDING GUIDANCE & NATIONAL LEGISLATION 12. SELECTED APPLICATION DRAWINGS- MASTER PLAN, SITE LOCATION PLAN, FLOOR PLANS
BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. INTRODUCTION
This statement is intended to review the significance of the heritage asset of Holme Grange and provide an assessment of the likely impact of the proposed Classroom Building on the listed building, its context and its setting and new garden steps.
The statement refers to the planning application reference ref 181913 and 181914, both validated on 4 July 2018.
The Planning application :
‘The development of a two-storey school building with 7 classrooms, associated office, kitchen, common room, changing rooms and WCs’
The planning and Listed Building application :
‘The installation of new steps leading to the adventure playground (see section 10 )
For clarity, the listed building asset is referred to as Holme Grange. The school and applicant is referred to as Holme Grange School, and the proposed new building for which planning permission is sought is referred to as Proposed classroom building. Other individual buildings within the site curtilage are referred to by their given name where possible, eg The Scott Wing.
The impact assessment of the proposed new external steps is given in section 10. Architect’s proposed site plan , Eaton Grange building and Workshop building at top left.
2. SITE DEVELOPMENT CHRONOLOGY Holme Grange School is an independent school in Wokingham for girls and boys aged 3-16 years. The school is situated in a rural setting to the south of Wokingham town and the entrance is from Heathlands Road on the west side of the site. The eastern boundary edge is parallel to Easthampstead Road and there is a secondary entrance (former stable entrance) to the south leading off Redlake Lane, which is within the application site and not used by the School.
The country house known as Holme Grange was built in 1882-3 became a school in 1945, and the stable buildings (1881) within its site at the north end are now in separate ownership.
The house, which is the core building of the school was designed by Richard Norman Shaw (1831- 1912) and is listed Grade II.
The site is not within a Conservation Area.
The adjacent area to the south is Holme Green, which consists of a small number of separate dwellings and a farmhouse and the immediate surrounding area outside the site boundary is flat open farmland. There is a small watercourse crossing the southern part of the estate and the site is within a Flood Zone 2-3.
Since the school was founded by J. Gordon-Walker in 1945, a number of building developments have taken place incrementally within the site, particularly during the last thirty years, as summarized here : 1985 Sports Hall 1998 John Graves Wing 2001 John Graves Wing extension 2009 Reception classroom (Refurbishment)
2012 Little Grange
2013 Redeveloped Classrooms in the Main House 2015 Scott Wing extension 2016 Eaton Grange and new Theatre building
2016 Sports Hall Extension The expansion of the school facilities has been planned, due to the growing popularity of the school within the local community, growing pupil and staff numbers and the success rates achieved by the school. The number of staff and pupils attending the school has grown particularly in the last ten years along with an expanded curriculum, and this is the primary reason for the planned increase of school facilities.
3. LOCATION & SETTING -HISTORIC AND CURRENT ORDNANCE SURVEY MAPS The following pages contain extracts from historic local OS survey maps. They reflect the development and changes to this site from a map dated 1871, indicating open fields within an ‘estate’ prior to the construction of Holme Grange up to the mid-20th century. The topography of the 22 acre open site rises from west to east. The early map indicates the site for the future house built on the natural brow of raised ground within the Estate.
1871 Ordnance Survey map. This shows the site just before Holme Grange was built. 1900 Ordnance survey (second edition.) This clearly shows the new house and the stable buildings to the North. 1912 Ordnance Survey. The woodland to the North-East and South-East of the house is larger. 1932 Revised Ordnance Survey. Some additional woodland to the East of the house.
1960 Ordnance Survey, with a few small ancillary school buildings to the North of the house. 4. HOLME GRANGE- THE LISTED BUILDING
The brief Listing citation is dated January 1986 and the text (see below) refers to the location as Wokingham Without Holme Green (OS SU86NW). The grade II listing is applicable to the main house only, and also includes the gravel path and retaining wall and brick steps. Curtilage buildings in the form of extensions have been added since the house became part of the school after 1945.
Building exterior
The main frontage of the house faces north and is reached by a tree-line curved avenue from Heathlands Road and terminates as a (former) oval carriage forecourt. The off-centre modest entrance is hooded by a timber canopy. While the front façade is a mixture of tile-clad and brick of gables, described by Niklaus Pevsner as ‘a chaotic assembly of gables, chimneys and mullioned windows (which) must be seen to be believed’. The lower service wing on the left side projects forward, giving an informal asymmetrical composition.
The garden frontage to the rear is dominated by a large stepped gable which incorporated a high ribbed brick chimney. Five other lesser brick chimneys adorn the clay-tiled pitched roof. Walls are clad in brick and ornamental fish-scale hung terracotta tiles. Since the building came into school use, the former billiard Room and the Dining Room have been extended with poorly designed single-storey brick additions. The original staff quarters and service yard were placed discreetly on the East side.
Photo 1 showing the bay window of the main Hall, from which views are partially blocked by the later-added single storey extension on the right.
Windows are timber and metal with mullioned and transom frames with leaded lights and the garden façade incorporates a handsome two storey geometric bay window with tile hanging and a facetted tiled roof (see photo 1 above, which shows part of the later flat-roof extension on the right side).
The South-facing garden frontage of the house sits on a raised gravelled terrace separated from the main lawn below by a low straight brick retaining wall.
Compared to other houses by the Norman Shaw, the form and detailing is similar to other houses of his design, but the overall effect is of a modern house with fewer historic design ’references’ than some of his earlier work. See ‘Norman Shaw’ below.
Other than the extensions mentioned above, the exterior of the house appears to be generally unchanged from the original construction, and appears to be well maintained. Building Interior
The frontage entrance and vestibule faces North. The front door leads into a relatively small rectangular Vestibule. However this leads into a grand timber-panelled Hall, which has a large ornate inglenook fireplace and a grand mullion and transom bay window which extends to the roof as a gabled brick bay externally. From a survey plan of 1951, it can be seen that the ground floor also included a Drawing Room, Billiard Room and Smoking Room.
On the west side there was the main kitchen and ancillary service rooms in a wing which led out to a small enclosed service yard.
A wide and straight staircase leads from the panelled Hall to the first floor landing and on to the original generous Master suite and five former principal bedrooms. The first floor of the service wing contained 5 or 6 staff bedrooms and a back staircase.
Photo 2. The entrance front on the North side of Holme Grange. Photo 3.The garden front, to the South of Holme Grange. The later flat roof extension is on the right.
Survey plans dated 1951 indicate the internal layout of the house, in school use, which seemed to remain largely unchanged, except for the subdivision of some principal rooms.
The current use as a school has not led to any obvious structural or spatial changes and the room layout remains generally as originally built. Original bathroom and kitchen fittings and most light fittings have long since been removed or replaced, and a few rooms have been subdivided by lightweight partitions.
It is to the credit of the school that even before the building was protected by listing in 1986, no serious alterations have taken place to the fabric of the house and building is well preserved.
The significance of the heritage asset derives not only from its physical presence but also from its setting.
5. LISTING CITATION
Listing Citation Text :
WOKINGHAM WITHOUT HOLME GREEN
SU 86 NW 10/10 Holme Grange School
II Large house, now a private school. 1883 by R. Norman Shaw in the Tudor vernacular style. Brick, upper floor tile hung, tiled roof with several gables and moulded bargeboards. Irregular plan. 2 storeys, several large brick chimneys and mullion and transome windows with leaded lights. Entrance front – central porch with 4-centre gothic arch, a large mullion and transom window above. To the right are two oversailing gables. On the left of the porch are two, 4-light windows breaking eaves with small hipped roofs, and to the left an at right angles to these are 2 gables of unequal pitch. Garden front – irregular: the main feature is a large projecting chimney stack with ribs and crow stepped, coped sides above eaves level. To the left of it is a two storey canted bay window with hipped roof. To the right of the chimney, at right angles is a large mullion and transom window, and gables recessed to the right of this. There is a gravelled terrace adjoining this front with a brick retaining wall, a centre flight of 6 brick steps and small piers leading down to wide lawns. Listing NGR:SU8274067200 Listing date 17 January 1986 Grade: II
Survey plans of ground and first floor plan of the Grade II listed house. Some later additions are sketched over the plan at a later date. 6. NORMAN SHAW (1831-1912)
Portrait of Norman Shaw (circa 1889-91)
The author and historian Andrew Saint describes Holme Grange as a ‘pleasant and relaxing house’ in his authoritative book on Norman Shaw. Pevsner’s comment quoted above in ‘Building exterior’ might be applicable to many of Norman Shaw’s distinctive country houses, which he designed for wealthy clients.
Richard Norman-Shaw (above) came to influence English domestic architecture during the late Victorian era possibly more than any other architect of the period. Born in Edinburgh, he spent most of his working life in London where his highly successful practice was engaged in designing country houses for private clients as well as many significant commercial and civic buildings throughout the UK.
He was one of a group of architects and designers who adopted what is now referred to as the ‘English vernacular’ style which was heavily influenced by earlier historic manor houses in England towards the end of the nineteenth century. Shaw’s architectural grounding did however include studies and visits into Europe before he set up in private practice in 1863, initially with William Nesfield. In 1872 he became an Associate Member of the Royal Academy and later became a full Member.
Some of Shaw’s contemporaries followed a similar approach to design and there is little doubt that he, like many others, was influenced by the work of William Morris (1834 -1896) and Philip Webb (1831-1915 ) as well as George Street (1824-1881) for whom Shaw had worked earlier in his career. Shaw’s architectural approach to his country houses reflect the Arts and Crafts movement at the time, although his wealthy clients expected a high level of sophistication and finesse, which Shaw was able to provide in abundance, mainly in the Gothic Revival style, as evidenced at Holme Grange.
Even after the Gothic Revival style began to recede in the mid 1870s, Shaw adapted and developed his characteristic re-imagining of the vernacular style while exploring more classical influences on some other country houses such as Bryanston (1898) in Dorset later in his career.
The most identifiable characteristics of Shaw’s English country houses include the skilful informality and asymmetry of the plan, his imaginative internal room planning and a carefully controlled palette of materials and finishes, while creating an exuberant and picturesque composition. This might help to explain Pevsner’s slightly bizarre reference to what he describes as the ‘chaotic’ frontage of the house.
Holme Grange is by no means an example of Shaw’s best and most influential work. It would appear, evidentially from the design, that his client here, Bartle Goldsmid may not have lavished a generous budget on this house and Shaw may have been constrained.
Shaw’s professional career overlapped with that of Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944) who took on the mantle of traditional English country house design until the Modern Movement reached the UK.
The works of Richard Norman Shaw are well documented in architectural history books, bibliographies, photographs and in drawings in the RIBA collections. There is little doubt that Holme Grange is the work of Shaw, although its features appear to be somewhat ‘pared-back’ compared to his earlier and larger houses. Holme Grange was built a few years before Shaw designed a number of houses for the developer Jonathon Carr at Bedford Park in Turnham Green, West London from 1877. This was built as the first Garden Suburb in the country. While other architects were also involved in Bedford Park, Shaw, as principal designer and consultant, set the predominant style of the houses, which are typically a mixture of attractive brick, tile-hung gables, projecting bay windows and mullion and transom glazing, showing a variant of some of the distinctive and characterisitc features evident at Holme Grange.
A significant number of successful country house commissions preceded the design of Holme Grange and a few of these are listed for reference below.
1862 Amberley Castle farmhouse (with Nesfield)
1869 Cragside, Northumbria
1872 Grim’s Dyke Harrow
1874 Hopedene, Surrey (see next page)
1877 Swan House Chelsea
1877-79 Bedford Park houses , Chiswick.
1878 Adcote, Shropshite
1881-3 Holme Grange
1878 Adcote, Shropshire (see bel1877-79 Bedford Park houses (see next page1883 Banstead Wood, Shaw’s design for Hopedene, Surrey, 1874
Shaw’s design for Adcote House, Shropshire 1878.
Shaw’s drawing for Tower House, Bedford Park, Chiswick, 1879. 7. THE PROPOSED CLASSROOM BUILDING The proposed new classroom building is intended to cater for an increasing number of pupils at the school, as approved by the DFE to increase the age range and layout of the school to take pupils to the age of 16. The building will be sited to the south east (rear) of the listed building, some 80 metres away. The site is next to the existing drive which leads from the main school buildings to an entrance on Redlake Lane and is close to the existing utilitarian single-storey Workshop building. A separate planning application has been submitted for a car park extension adjacent to the existing drive entrance at Redlake Lane.
The proposed building will be two storeys high with a flat roof, and a small basement undercroft for plantroom space which takes advantage of the sloping site. The new accommodation will consist mainly of eight classrooms, a learning resource room, multi-purpose room and cloakroom/wcs. The principal entrance will be on the south-west side, away from the adjacent driveway.
The simple rectilinear architectural style is fairly typical of small standard contemporary school buildings, with brick wall facings and the introduction of cedar timber cladding as local features at the entrance. The type of facing brick is not defined in the application, but it is assumed that an acceptable brick which matches the principal main buildings will be agreed.
The proposed fenestration is a variety of sizes and types as appropriate to the function of the rooms within. The learning resource room and multifunction room will contain large-format glazing, as well as the staircases. The classrooms will have a rhythm of smaller windows on the front and flank facades. The application drawings indicate grey-coloured aluminium windows with top-hung sashes in the classrooms and other smaller rooms. Opaque coloured cladding panels will be used on the projecting elements of the ground floor, including the entrance vestibule and reception space. The proposed building should sit well with its nearest recent neighbours, the Eaton Grange and Langton buildings.
The siting of the proposed building has been chosen so that it will be screened by a belt of mature trees which flank the south-west side of the drive near the Langton building and it is understood that no mature trees will be removed for its construction.
8. VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF THE PROPOSAL ON THE HERITAGE ASSET In considering the impact of the proposed building upon the Grade II listed building, it is necessary to establish if or where the new development can be seen within the view of the listed building, and vice versa, which could be harmful to the listed building.
In order to assess this without a model, it is necessary to study the context of the surroundings, and in particular the later extensions to the listed buildings and other buildings which were built in the vicinity.
1. The site location, screening effect and nature and appearance of surrounding buildings. 2. The proposed height of the proposed building. 3. The proposed external appearance and materials used in the proposed building. 1. The site location
The selected site for the Classroom Building is significantly lower than Holme Grange. It will be built on a sloping site which slopes away from Holme Grange, as shown on the application drawings, and particularly on drawing 18028-2300, site section AA which indicate both existing ground levels and the proposed roof level.
The ground level at the extreme south-west end of the building is indicated as 96.11 (although this same-figured level is shown erroneously at the other end of the building, which should read ’97.95’).
2. The proposed height.
The roof edge is shown at a height level of 105.10. This will be at least 2.0 metres lower that the nearby Eaton Grange building to the North-West.
An earlier digital topographical survey dated October 2015 measured over an area to the north- west of the proposed building uses a different base datum level from the application drawings. However by interpolating and comparing the levels where the two sets of drawings overlap, it is noted that the proposed roof will be 3.86 metres higher than the level gravel path along the rear of the listed building and the ground floor level of the proposed building will be 3.29 metres lower than the gravel terrace.
From proposed drawing showing site section AA, the roof height of the Eaton Grange building (Dining Hall) is shown at, at least 107.02, and somewhat higher that the North-West side, making the roof of this building some 5.28 metres higher than the gravel terrace.
This clearly illustrates that the Eaton Grange building will screen most, if not all of the ground level views of the proposed building from the gravel terrace, and the existing Head Teacher’s House, together with the belt of mature trees including three large Oaks and the raised single-story Langton Building will add further screening effect (see photos 5, 6 and 7.)
3. The proposed external appearance and materials.
The use of brick and timber cladding as the main façade materials will harmonize and be consistent with other nearby later-added buildings in the vicinity, particularly Eaton Grange classrooms and dining areas nearby, as well as the smaller Langton building. The proposed combination of modern facing materials seem appropriate to the rustic and part- woodland setting of the newer buildings, and does not harm their impact on the listed building. Architect’s Proposal:
Site Plan.
Application proposal (grey tone)
Holme Grange house at top left of plan.
Eaton Grange and workshop building next to the proposed building
Gate to Redlake Lane at bottom right of plan.
The above site plan indicates the plan relationship between the proposed classroom building and existing adjacent and nearby buildings on the site.(application drawing) Trees are not shown. Proposed elevations of the application building. The.North- East façade will face the existing sloping driveway. Architect’s context Section AA at top, showing the Workshop and Eaton Grange building to the right.
VISUAL IMPACT
Looking that the impact of the setting of Holme Grange, it can be seen that the East and South-East aspects looking from the Holme Grange and looking towards Holme Grange are already developed with post 1945 extensions and ancillary buildings. These include the Headmaster’ House, the Scott Wing, Langton and Eaton Grange (see photos 6 and 8). These are described briefly below. Furthermore it is notable that an important outward-looking view from the bay window of the panelled Hall of Holme Grange has been unfortunately blocked by a much earlier flat-roofed dining room extension to Holme Grange possibly built before 1970s prior to the listing of the building.
HEADTEACHER’S HOUSE This is a free-standing two-storey dwelling, designed with shallower pitched roof in contrast with Holme Grange, and with little contextual intent or ‘relationship’ to the listed building apart from the matching brick. On its own it sits uneasily with Holme Grange due to its orientation and building style. However this house is now visually dominated by the adjacent Eaton Grange building.
THE SCOTT WING
The more recent Scott Wing is situated at a respectful distance from the listed building on the east side of the original service wing of Holme Grange. It is linked to the house with a low roof and is finished in brick with a composition of gable ends, no doubt intended to echo the gable of Norman Shaw’s service wing. LANGTON
This is a modest-size raised single storey, timber clad building with two classrooms, which overlooks the playing field (Back Field), planning application 161629, completed in 2017.
EATON GRANGE
This two storey free-standing building of some considerable bulk and height may be an unfortunate intruder as it closes the otherwise open views from the listed building and the gravel garden path. However its presence when viewed from Holm Grange will effectively block views of the proposed new building, as described above in detail.
Photo 4. The proposal site in the centre of the photograph. Workshop and Eaton Grange Building in the background, and the brick-faced John Graves Wing beyond and to the right. Photo 5. View from the south end of the ‘back’ playing field. This shows the Langton building in the centre of the view, and the proposal site is to the right behind the line of trees. Holme Grange is situated behind the tree group on the left. The sloping roof of the Eaton Grange building is just visible above Langton.
Photo 6. View from the lawn to the south of Holme Grange (part of listed Grade II house to the left). The gable end of the Scott building is evident and the smaller brick building to the centre-right is the Head Teacher’s house and the timber-clad Eaton Grange building beyond. Photo 7. The Langton Building, for comparison with Photo 5. From this viewpoint, upper parts of the Grade II listed building are partly visible to the left, beyond the John Graves building.
Photo 8. View of the Head Teacher’s house, Eaton Grange on the left. On the right is the corner of John Graves Wing and the Scott building beyond on the right. 9. SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS
In my view, some harm has already taken place to the setting of the Grade II listed building, caused by the incremental addition of the existing buildings on the site which already have some impact upon the setting of Holme Grange by crowding the former open spaces to the north and east of the listed Grade II house. However the setting of the Norman Shaw house will not be further damaged by the proposed Classroom Building.
This is because :
a. The area between the listed building and the proposed site is occupied by ancillary buildings and some mature trees which will screen views in both directions from available key viewing points in and around Holme Grange. b. The height and size of the proposed building is modest and very unlikely to be visible in views from Holme Grange above the roof or to the side of the Eaton Grange building. See section 8.2 above. c. The orientation of the rectangular building is such that the screening effect of the neighbouring Eaton Grange building is maximised. d. The proposed building has been designed with modest proportions and with facing materials which are compatible with the site, setting and other buildings within the site. e. The new building will represent an improvement to the current appearance and condition of its site, by the removal of some car parking and unsightly hard surfaces, containers, wooden sheds and dustbins. f. The screening effect of a belt of mature trees to the ‘rear’ south-west side of the proposed building will further assist in minimising views of the building particularly from the west (‘back’ playing field and beyond). g. Views of the proposed building from the public realm will be extremely unlikely due to the screening effect of woodland belts to the south and east of the proposed site and site boundary trees and shrubs. h. To some extent, the impact of the recent and proposed buildings to the south-east of Holme Grange is mitigated by the lower site levels of the application site due to the sloping topography of the site.
Although not part of this planning application, it is understood that the school proposes to demolish the Reception/Early Years classroom in the near future. This building is adjacent to the front forecourt of Holme Chase.
Although this is a low single storey pre-fabricated building, it sits awkwardly in the context of the main entrance forecourt to the listed building, which has lost its original oval plan shape. The removal of this building will be welcomed from the Heritage standpoint and will provide an opportunity to restore the forecourt and possibly introduce some new landscaping and planting.
10. PROPOSED NEW EXTERNAL STEPS TO LEADING TO THE ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND
A separate planning and listed building application has been submitted for new external steps in the garden adjacent to Holme Grange, as shown on application drawings LB14-01 and LB14-02. A wide gravel path and strip of grass runs along the South (garden) façade of Holm Grange, separated from the lawn by a brick retaining wall. There are wide main steps, placed centrally to the house, leading down to the lawn, and a secondary set of steps are situated near the corner return of the retaining wall on the west side.
The purpose of constructing these steps is to form a safe set of steps for use by pupils and staff leading to the newly re-located adventure playground from the west side of the gravel pat in front of the garden façade of Holme Grange. The lower landing of the existing steps in this location is interrupted by the corner-post and mesh fencing of the tennis court and the resulting partial blockage of a path in this location would be unsafe and visually unsatisfactory. This location is close to the raised terrace flanking the listed building and the existing steps are of original construction.
The application drawings show a second set of steps, to be built to match the existing steps, but with half-bullnose brick stair nosings, to match those used in the nearby original central steps down to the lawn. The steps are in an architecturally sensitive location in relation to the heritage asset, and the design is directly related to the original garden steps using appropriate bricks and matching pointing. It is intended to retain the existing historic steps in-situ although they would remain unused, unless at some later date the tennis court is removed and the steps revert to re-use.
I consider that due to the sympathetic design, layout and location, the proposed steps would not be harmful to the Grade II listed building. (See photo below and on following page)
Photo 9 South façade of Holme Grange, gravel terrace and low retaining wall in the foreground, existing garden steps on the left, to be retained.
Photo 10 Closer view of existing garden steps and the corner of the tennis court fence screen.
Architect’s sketch of proposal for new external steps
11. REFERENCE TO CURRENT LISTED BUILDING GUIDANCE & LEGISLATION
In preparing this assessment, reference has been made to relevant recommendations and requirements as summarized below :
HERITAGE ENGLAND
The setting of Heritage Assets, Historic Environment Good Practice in Planning Note 3 (second addition)
Guidance document on managing change within the setting of heritage assets, written in accordance with NPPF.
- Part 1- Settings and views, definition as in NPPF. - Difference between setting and curtilage, context and landscape. - The extent of a setting - Cumulative change - Access and setting - Designed settings - Part 2 -Staged approach to Proportionate decision taking.
LOCAL AUTHORITY POLICIES
CORE STRATEGY POLICY CS8 The current Wokingham Borough Council polices map shows that the site lies within the Thames Basin Heath Special Protection Area (SPA). This policy requires development proposals to demonstrate that suitable measures to avoid and mitigate potential adverse effects are provided.
The development proposals in the planning application would not have a detrimental effect on the SPA due to its limited size and location within the site. Therefore no mitigation measures are considered as necessary.
CORE POLICY CS11 This Policy states that in order to protect the separate identity of settlements and maintain the quality of the environment, proposals outside development limits will not normally be permitted except :
-Where it contributes to diverse and sustainable rural enterprises within the borough
-It does not lead to excessive encroachment or expansion of development away from original buildings
-It is contained within suitably located buildings which are appropriate for conversion, or in the case of replacement buildings would bring about environmental improvement.
While this Policy may be applied to the proposed development, it is considered that the proposal complies with the Policy, and it proposes a building of modest size and a high standard of sustainable design measures, carefully sited to avoid encroaching on the existing rural open space.
POLICY TB24
Designated Heritage Assets (including Listed Buildings)
(2) The Borough Council will conserve and seek the enhancement of designated heritage assets by :
a. Requiring works to or affecting heritage assets or their setting to demonstrate that the proposals would at least conserve and, where possible enhance the important character and special architectural interest of the building, conservation area, monument or park and garden including its setting and views. b. Supporting development proposals or other initiatives that will conserve, and where possible enhance the local character, setting, management and historic significance of designated heritage assets, with particular support for initiatives that would improve any assets that are recognised as being in poor condition or at risk.
(3) Proposals for building works shall retain or incorporate existing features or details of historic or architectural significance or design quality into the scheme.
The proposals will fully comply with the requirements of a.) and b.) above for the reasons stated in the above Heritage Assessment including siting, proximity, form, height and use of facing materials. The proposals fully comply with Policy TB24.3.
The setting of Holme Grange will not be affected by the proposals for the proposed classroom building, mainly by the carefully considered siting of the building in a position where it will be screened from the Grade II Listed Building and will itself be screened from key views by a mature tree belt and other buildings.
It is my view that the proposals in this application are acceptable when considered against both National and Local planning Policy.
12. SELECTED APPLICATION DRAWINGS
On the following pages the proposed site location plan ref 18208 -1120 and 18208- 2300 are shown for reference. Site boundary plan showing the location of the proposed classroom building.
Proposed floor plans of the classroom building.
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Andrew Saint Richard Norman Shaw, Revised Edition 2010.
Pevsner Buildings of England – Berkshire updated 2010 Edition
The Architect (Magazine) 3 January 1890, 5 May 1891, articles.
James Peill The English Country House 2013
END