KEITH MID STREET CONSERVATION AREA Character Appraisal & Action Plan
October 2010
SCOTTISH CIVIC TRUST The Tobacco Merchants House 42 Miller Street Glasgow G1 1DT www.scottishcivictrust.org.uk Keith Conservation Area Appraisal Contents
1 Introduction, Purpose and Justification 4
1.1 Date and reason for designation 1.2 What does conservation area status mean? 1.3 Purpose of appraisal 1.4 Methodology 1.5 Planning policy context
2 Location and landscape 8
2.1 Setting & Topography 2.2 Geology 2.3 Regional context
3 Historical Development 10
3.1 Origins 3.2 The Age of Improvement 3.3 New Keith and the 18th Century 3.4 A market town – 1800 to 1915 3.5 20th Century
4 Character Assessment 22
4.1 Spatial Analysis
• Activity & Movement • Street pattern & urban grain • Open spaces, trees and landscape • Views, landmarks & focal points
4.2 Buildings Analysis
• Building types • Scheduled monuments • Key listed and unlisted buildings • Materials & local details • Condition • Buildings at Risk
4.3 Public Realm Audit 4.4 Development Opportunities 4.5 Character Areas
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 2
5 Analysis 43
5.1 Key Features & Assessment of significance 5.2 Negative Factors 5.3 Specific Issues
• Rainwater Goods • Signage and shopfronts • Windows
6 The Conservation Area Action Plan 47
6.1 Context 6.2 Conservation Strategy 6.3 Planning Action
• Boundary review • New Development in the Conservation Area • Article 4 Directions
6.4 Conservation Action
• Key Projects • Priority Issues • Public Realm Improvements
7 Monitoring and Review 76
7.1 Performance Indicators
8 Further Reading 77
Appendix 1: Listed Buildings Map Appendix 2: Proposed Conservation Area Boundary Map Appendix 3: Cost Appraisal by McLeod & Aitken
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 3
1 Introduction, Purpose and Justification
1.1 Date and extent of designation
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area was designated in 1984 to include the heart of the new town focusing on Mid Street, Reidhaven Square and the A‐listed St. Thomas’ Catholic Church on Chapel Street.
When the conservation area boundaries were drawn at the time of the original designation the defined area was larger than the current conservation area, taking in Moss Street and Land Street to the west and east of Mid Street. The conservation area boundary was amended prior to the 2000 Local Plan to reduce the size of the conservation area and facilitate backland development. During the course of the site survey it was established that the boundary would benefit from revision in some places. Proposals for extending the boundaries are set out in 5.4.1. A map of the existing and proposed boundary is available in Appendix 2.
It should be noted that the conservation area character appraisal is confined to the area as presently designated. There has been no corresponding evaluation of the structures and townscape within the areas proposed for extension, other than for making the case for change to be considered.
1.2 What does conservation area status mean?
The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 states that conservation areas “are areas of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance.” Local authorities have a statutory duty to identify and designate such areas.
The main regulatory instrument afforded by conservation status is the control of demolition of unlisted buildings and structures through the mechanism of “conservation area consent” (CAC). This was introduced in 1971 in the recognition of the importance that even relatively minor buildings can play to the overall character or appearance of a conservation area (in general terms, the demolition of a structure unless it is a listed building is afforded permitted development status).
Conservation area status also brings the following works under planning control:
removal of, or work to, trees development involving small house extensions, roof alterations, stone cleaning or painting of the exterior.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 4
Conservation area designation enables planning authorities to implement stronger management control via Article 4 Directions, which would otherwise not be possible. These can play a particularly important role in protecting unifying features (e.g. doors, windows and shop‐fronts) and in arresting the incremental erosion of character and appearance by small‐scale alterations that in themselves may not be significant but collectively and over time might have a negative impact.
It is recognised that the successful management of conservation areas can only be achieved with support and input from stakeholders, and in particular local residents and property owners.
1.3 Purpose of appraisal
Planning Authorities have a duty to prepare proposals for the preservation and enhancement of conservations areas, although there is no imposed timeframe for doing so. The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 also indicates that planning authorities must pay special attention to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of the designated area in making planning decisions that affect the area. A more considered and careful approach is therefore needed in considering development proposals in a conservation area.
In response to these statutory requirements, this appraisal document defines and records the special architectural and historic interest of the conservation area and identifies opportunities for enhancement. The appraisal conforms to Scottish Government guidance as set out in Planning Advice Note 71: Conservation Area Management (December 2004). Additional government guidance regarding the management of historic buildings and conservation areas is set out within Scottish Planning Policy (February 2010), and in Scottish Historic Environment Policy (SHEP, 2009).
This document therefore seeks to:
1 define the special interest of the conservation area and identify the issues which threaten the special qualities of the conservation area 2 provide guidelines to prevent harm and achieve enhancement 3 provide the Moray Council with a valuable tool with which to inform its planning practice and policies for the area.
“Preserve or Enhance” It should be noted that the phrase “preserve or enhance” has been the subject of debate over the years, and is one of the few areas of historic environment legislation that has been subjected to legal tests. A landmark case, now known as the Steinberg principle (from Steinberg & another v. Secretary of State for Environment, 1988) together with further refinements of other cases (notably South
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 5
Lakeland District Council v SofS for the Environment, 1992) defined the statutory objective of preserving and enhancing as one that achieved by positive contribution to preserve or by development which leaves the character or appearance unharmed. This is now largely considered to be the principle of “do no harm”. It should also be noted that the assessment of “preserve or enhance” for planning purposes needs to be made against the character of the whole of the conservation area, unless it can be shown that there are areas of distinct character within the whole. In this instance, the assessment is made in the context of these character zones.
1.4 Methodology
This appraisal has been prepared by the Scottish Civic Trust. The Trust was contracted in September 2010 to undertake the work on behalf of The Moray Council. The Appraisal and Action Plan will support the Council’s application for Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme funding during 2010/2011.
The Conservation Area Appraisal is intended to be a document in its own right and the appraisal and analysis are intended to help understanding and management of the historic core of Keith.
The document was prepared with the assistance of Andrew PK Wright, Chartered Architect & Heritage Consultant, who acted as Project Consultant. The project is supported by a steering group of local stakeholders which includes local councillors, representatives from Keith & Strathisla Regeneration Partnership and the Council’s Planning Officer (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas). Their guidance has been invaluable in informing the assessment process and the public consultation within the tight time constraints.
Public Consultation was carried out during the assessment in accordance with PAN 3/2010. A public meeting was held in October 2010, attended by representatives of The Moray Council, the Scottish Civic Trust and the steering group, at which preliminary findings and recommendations were presented. Every property owner and resident in the conservation area received notification by post of the public meeting and the wider aims of the assessment. The meeting was also publicised widely in local newspapers. In addition, informal meetings took place with business owners on Mid Street and owners of buildings identified as Priority Projects at 6.4.1. A meeting also took place with the Historic Scotland Area Inspector and the Moray Council’s Planning Officer (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas). This document takes into account feedback from all of these events.
The Action Plan was costed by McLeod & Aitken Chartered Surveyors, Elgin in accordance with the project brief to provide estimated costs for the proposed works to Priority Projects, Small
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 6
Grants Scheme and public realm improvements. The Cost Appraisal can be found at Appendix 3.
1.5 Planning policy context
This appraisal provides a firm basis on which applications for development within the conservation area can be assessed. It should be read in conjunction with the wider development plan policy framework produced by The Moray Council.
The Development Plan for Moray comprises:
The Moray Structure Plan(2007) establishes a 15‐20 year strategic development vision for the region and adds a regional dimension to national guidance. In doing so it provides a spatial framework for other strategies in the region including Local Plans.
Moray Local Plan (2008) interprets the strategic direction provided by the Moray Structure Plan 2007 into detailed policies and proposals for use in the determining of planning policies. The Moray Local Plan sets out the detailed framework for the area’s land use policies and identifies where different types of development should be located. In addition the Local Plan also sets out the criteria by which all planning applications are considered. The following sections are particularly relevant:
Built Environment POLICY BE1: SCHEDULED ANCIENT MONUMENTS AND NATIONAL DESIGNATIONS POLICY BE2: LISTED BUILDINGS POLICY BE3: CONSERVATION AREAS
Natural Environment POLICY E3: TREE PRESERVATION ORDERS AND CONTROLS ON TREES POLICY E5: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS
Residential Development POLICY H5: HOUSE ALTERATIONS AND EXTENSIONS
Retail & Commercial Development POLICY R1: RETAIL AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN TOWN CENTRES POLICY R2: TOWN CENTRE DEVELOPMENT
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 7
2 Location and landscape
2.1 Setting & Topography
Keith is located at the conjunction of a series of river valleys, the most prominent of which is Strathisla. The settlement is located across elevated ridges, which are generally orientated to face each other across the River Isla. The River Isla forms the divide between Keith and Fife‐Keith with higher hills and winding river valleys surrounding the town. The surrounding rolling agricultural landscape provides a positive setting for the town and there is a comfortable relationship between the urban and rural landscapes.
A description of Keith from 1742 remarks that the town is ‘situated in such a hollow place, that it can scarce be seen from any place at a quarter of a mile’s distance from it.’1
2.2 Geology
The rocks underlying Keith are of the Dalradian Supergroup, some of the oldest rocks in Moray. These were first laid down when sediments metamorphosed by heat and pressure to create gneisses, schists and slates. The younger Dalradian schists to the east of Moray are generally more varied in texture and mineralogy. These rocks occur in parallel belts which result in the ridge and vale topography we see around Keith. Igneous rocks give loamy fertile soils, rich in nutrients.
1 ‘A Description of the Parish of Keith in Banffshire AD1742’, in The book of the chronicles of Keith, Grange, Ruthven, Cairney and Botriphnie : events, places and persons, Gordon, James Frederick Skinner, p.2
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 8
2.3 Regional context
Keith is a small town in the north‐east of Scotland with a population of 4597.2 The town sits on the A96 trunk road at the midpoint between Inverness and Aberdeen. The modern town of Keith consists of the three divisions of Old and New Keith on the right bank of the Isla and Fife‐Keith on the left bank. In research carried out by yellowbook in 2004/5 on 67 small towns in the east of Scotland, Keith was in the worst performing quartile for 8 measures, including population change (1991‐2001). Keith lies in a predominantly rural area with infrequent public transport and relatively long distances between population centres and facilities. The town itself is classified as a ‘Remote Small Town’ according to the Scottish Government’s Urban Rural Classification.3 Aberdeen and Inverness are 49 and 55 miles away respectively.
In the past Keith was a significant textile town, but was badly affected by the closures of two businesses: Kynoch & Laidlaw. The textiles industry no longer offers the employment opportunities it once did in Keith and new industrial and manufacturing developments have been limited. Proposals to expand Keith’s role as tourism centre have failed to come to fruition. Distilling has historically been, and is still, an important aspect of Keith’s economy. The town features in Scotland’s Malt Whisky Trail, and has three distilleries, including the picturesque Strathisla Distillery, the oldest operating distillery in the Highlands, and owned since 1950 by Chivas Brothers.
The Keith Urban Design Framework (2006) concluded that ‘Keith remains a special and distinctive place...but it has lost its sense of purpose with decline of ...industries and market town functions.’
‘...and it has struggled to come to terms with change: the most successful small towns have responded to these changes by identifying new roles and opportunities.’
2 at the 2001 census.
3 Settlements of between 3,000 and 10,000 people and with a drive time of over 30 minutes to a settlement of 10,000 or more.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 9
3 Historical Development
3.1 Origins
‘Keath’ marked on Robert Gordon’s map of 1640, National Library of Scotland.
Old Keith is of considerable antiquity, forming one of the seven provinces of Pictland, with what is now the modern county of Aberdeenshire. Interesting memorials still remain of the Celtic missionaries who introduced Christianity among the northern Picts. St Maelrubha was one of the most notable of missionaries in Northern Scotland c.700, and more than twenty placenames show traces of his presence. Keith has been referred to anciently as Kethmalruff or Cèith Mhaol Rubha in Gaelic; a dedication to Saint Maelrubha. The Ceith or Keth part of the name appears to come from Brythonic coed, "wood", but a Pictish territorial division in this area was known as Cé, and the names may be related. The settlement appears as ‘Geth’ in a deed of around 1177 granted by William the Lyon, which transferred the whole of Strathisla into the possession of the Abbey of Kinloss. Keith was just a small part of lands of Abbey of Kinloss, which extended across much of Moray & western Banffshire. Keith would have mainly been used as centre for agriculture and distilling.
In 1203 the Kirk of Keith was granted to the Cathedral of Elgin, no doubt to help raise finance to build the new cathedral 20 years later. Keith later became a mensal church providing revenue for the upkeep of the Bishops of Moray. In the 13th century, Keith had a Jurisdiction of Regality. The Court of Regality sat in the church and judged all civil and criminal cases. Those convicted on capital charges were executed on the hill where New Keith has since been built,
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 10
possibly on ground occupied by the stable yard of the Seafield Arms Hotel.4
Milton Tower was built c.1480, repaired 1601 and then partly demolished in 1829. It was the seat of the Ogilvy family, who succeeded the Abbots of Kinloss as the feuars in Keith after the Reformation. The tower now lies in ruins in the grounds of the Strathisla Distillery. Banffshire has been the home of the Ogilvies since 1440 when they moved from the parish of Glamis in Angus. Until about 1511, when the family moved to The Castle of Cullen House, Findlater Castle had been the family residence, and the ruins can be seen on the rugged coast between Cullen and Sandend. Sir Walter Ogilvie was created the 1st Lord Ogilvie of Deskford and Findlater in 1616, and his son James became the 1st Earl of Findlater in 1638.5
James, 4th Earl of Findlater, was to become one of the most important men in Scotland. In 1698, while his father was still alive, he had become Viscount Seafield and Lord Ogilvie of Cullen. Three years later, and by now the Earl, he was created 1st Earl of Seafield, Viscount Reidhaven and Lord Ogilvie of Deskford and Cullen. He rose to be Chancellor of State for Scotland and had much to do with bringing about the Union of Parliaments in 1707. He died in 1730 and was succeeded by his eldest son James, 5th Earl of Findlater and 2nd Earl of Seafield.
The 17th century saw various internal transfers of land in and around Keith within the Ogilvy family. Early Keith rapidly expanded its activities into milling and brewing, and the first bridge over the River Isla was built in 1609. The "Auld Brig" was the sole way of crossing the Isla on the main Aberdeen‐Inverness route known as the ‘King’s High Way’,6 and still survives, just south of the bridge carrying the modern A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road over the river. It is wide enough to carry pedestrians, ponies or mules, but could not have taken a cart or carriage. It was a long, straggling working town with several mills, extending some distance along the Isla from the 15th century Ogilvy seat Milton Tower at the north down beyond the old kirkyard.7 The old kirkyard of Keith is located down by the River Isla adjacent to the Auld Brig. It's not entirely clear when it started to be used as a cemetery but some of the gravestones and some old drawings of the area show that it was in use in the 1600s.8
4 Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A survey of Scottish Topography, Ed. Francis H. Groome, Vol IV, 1883 5 www.seafield‐estate.co.uk/ 6 Banffshire: The People and the Lands. Part 1: The Parish of Keith Prior to 1775, Bishop p.2 7 Ordnance Gazeteer of Scotland, Ed. Francis H. Groome, Vol IV, 1883 8 visitkeith.co.uk Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 11
The ‘Auld Brig’, Keith.
Keith was the major commercial town in Banffshire, though Banff remained the administrative centre. Old Keith grew as a centre for the cattle trade where drovers from the highlands sold cattle on to dealers from further south, with its famed fortnight‐long great fair held in September. Known as Summer’s Eve fair, this was held on a hill to the south east of the town approximately where Reidhaven Square lies now. Traders from all over the country, from Glasgow, Perth, Dundee and Kirkwall would travel to Keith to meet up. The traders sold coarse woollen cloth, bought by merchants and the local people. Cattle and horses were sold before the winter, when it became too expensive to keep animals.
3.2 The Age of Improvement
Until the 18th century Scotland’s villages were usually irregular settlements loosely organised around farms. Rural settlements were small, based on the fermtoun – a small cluster of houses and outbuildings occupied by tenants who together worked the land. If the fermtoun included a church it might be named a ‘Kirktoun’; if it included a mill it might be named a ‘Milltoun’.
The period c. 1730 to 1830 is often termed the Age of Improvement. Landowners began to consider efficiencies in agriculture which had a profound impact on the character of Scotland’s landscapes. Agricultural process was the impetus for the movement and the 18th century is a time of intensive improvement in farming methods. Larger farm holdings under one management and new machinery, which reduced the need for manual labour, increased yields and created a shortage of work in the countryside.
Planned villages were to be centres of new non‐agricultural industries, providing employment and housing for those left redundant by the more efficient farming methods. During the 18th and early 19th century some 200 new towns were founded in
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 12
Scotland.9 In the spirit of improvement and organisation the new villages were often laid out in a regular and disciplined form, in contrast to the previous organic and irregular patterns of development.
TC Smout identified four principal types of planned village in his 1970 article The Landowner and the Planned Village, namely agricultural villages, fishing villages, villages with small rural industries, and the factory village. Daniel Maudlin, in The Highland House Transformed, describes three distinct examples of early planned villages in the Highlands: the model estate village, the industrial estate village, and the government scheme village.
One of the most celebrated planned settlements was Inveraray; a model estate village built to express the cultured tastes of Dukes of Argyll as part of wider estate enclosure & improvements. Throughout the 1750s and 60s, these grand architectural statements were countered by a parallel movement of new industrial centres, hoped by landowners to be catalysts for growth & development. New villages in Banff, Moray and Inverness‐shire were established not as personal architectural statements but as centres for regional industry. Cotton, linen and wool spinning were mechanised around this time so landowners could attract new textile mills to their villages to assure their prosperity – if only temporarily. These industrial villages tended to be more plain & practical, while still rigorously disciplined.
3.3 New Keith and the 18th Century
New Keith was first laid out around 1750 by the 5th Earl of Findlater. The new town in Keith is one of the earliest of the planned villages, certainly in the north‐east, and was founded as a grid‐plan linen manufacturing centre. Keith proved to be highly influential and was followed by other grid‐plan villages, such as Grantown‐on‐Spey, Inverness‐shire for Sir James Grant of Grant, as landowners realised the potential of this region. It adjoins Old Keith on the south east, and occupies the eastern slope of what was formerly a barren moor. The community was rationalised into a grid‐iron New Town built on a regular plan with three main streets running parallel to one another in a north‐south direction with cross lanes between each alternate feu. The main Aberdeen‐Inverness road was diverted along Moss Street and the bottom of Reidhaven Square. The square was used for the Summers Eve fair and the weekly markets held in the new town.
9 Scottish Townscape, Colin McWilliam, 1975, p.88
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 13
Sketch of Plan of the town of and lands about Keith, "according as they are now divided into regular lots". 1764 [National Archives, RHP11838]
Many of the buildings are constructed from schist quarried locally. The feus as laid out on an estate map of 1764 measure approximately 30 yards by 60, providing a large garden for each property. Lanes are shown running between the feus. No. 17 Reidhaven Square is thought to be one of the earliest surviving houses in New Keith, built c.1750.10 The Seafield Arms was built in 1762 by the Earl of Seafield. It contained a large hall in which the district courts were formerly held. Trials were being undertaken at this time by James Murray on the feasibility of ‘opening a slate quarry on the Hillocks of Miltoun estate’.11
By 1791 the Statistical Accounts of Scotland report that ‘Old’ Keith ‘is greatly on the decline, and almost a ruin.’ However there is evidence that the residents of Old Keith were not quick to embrace the new. A ‘Description of the Parish of Keith’ in 1798 states that the inhabitants of Old Keith ‘took the term ‘Gutterbleed’ to distinguish themselves from the upstart stock of...New Keith. A
10 Scottish Ministers’ Statutory List entry for 17 Reidhaven Square, HBNUM 35674 11 National Archives GD248/1155 Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 14
felicitous warfare or chaffing was kept up between the denizens of the rival towns.’12
Mid Street, 1901, Moray Local Heritage Centre
New Keith is described by the Statistical Accounts as ‘a regular and tolerably thriving village, containing 1075 inhabitants.’ Feus are described as 30 feet by 70 at a feu duty of 10s per annum. The large feus shown on the 1764 Seafield Estate map began to be divided in half to create narrower plots.
The Milton distillery was established by George Taylor & Alexander Milne in 1784, before being renamed the Strathisla distillery two years later. In 1886 Alfred Barnard noted that: ‘The position of the distillery is most romantic; a wood crowned hill overtops it on the side, whilst the opposite side of the valley is ornamented with pretty villas whose grounds stretch down to the waters edge, and the old kirk on another hill looks serenely into the busy establishment below.’13
The late 18th century saw the expansion of Keith as a mill town. In 1788 Kynochs woollen mill opened at Isla Bank Mill. Keith’s Parish Minister noted that “there are 3 flax mills, a tannage, a distillery, and 2 bleacheries on the banks of the Isla. All the manufacturers live in the New Town. There are four annual fairs, including the one in September.”14 The main industries of parish in the late 18th century were flax‐dressing, spinning and weaving. However, cheap labour available in Ireland and mechanisation were already beginning to depress these industries.
12 ‘Description of the Parish of Keith in 1798’ From A Survey of the Province of Moray, Historical Geographical and Political, 1798 p. 25. 13 The District of Moray, Charles McKean, p. 140 14 Banffshire: The People and the Lands. Part 1: The Parish of Keith Prior to 1775, Bishop, p.2 Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 15
In Strathisla Distillery, established in 1784.
1846 Samuel Lewis observes, ‘The linen manufacture was formerly carried on here to a very considerable extent; but since the introduction of the cotton manufacture it has been discontinued.’15 Describing Keith in the late 18th century Robert Heron says: 'Nearly in the centre of the county, is the handsome village of Keith, reared by the noble family of FINDLATER. It contains above a thousand inhabitants, who are chiefly manufacturers. Here is one of the best markets in the north for black cattle and horses.'
3.4 A market town – 1800 to 1915
Fife‐Keith, on the other side of the Isla, was founded by the Earl of Fife in 1817. However it is noted in the New Statistical Account of 1834 as ‘a complete failure’ as the population still depended on their crofts of land. Similarly, Newmill, to the north, was founded 40 years earlier but was never a great success, as it lay too far from main post road. In 1798, it is described as a village consisting of ‘poor people who have settled there for the accommodation of peat fuel and a small croft of land.’16
In contrast, building was continuing apace in New Keith. By 1816 the site of the great annual fair was named Reidhaven Square and had become the focus for the lives of the people of the New Town. A schoolhouse had been built on lands provided by Ogilvie family in the 17th century, but was now ruinous. In 1827 John Sim, the schoolmaster ‘represented to the Heritor’s that he had neither School House Dwelling house nor Garden, and they agreed that a Schoolhouse should be built.’ At that time, the school operated in the upper flat of the town hall and old jail on the Square. In 1829
15 'Keanlochbervie ‐ Kilbride (Arran)', A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1846), Samuel Lewis, pp. 1‐22
16 Statistical Account of Scotland 1791‐1799, vol.5, p.414 Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 16
submission was made for two parochial schools in the parish. It was considered that other families may be induced to settle in the town if there was better access “to the facilities of Education”. A new school was duly built opposite St Rufus Church in 1833. The Kirk Session minutes of 1833 noted that the parish school was a large and commodious building that had two schoolmasters who lived on the premises. Keith Grammar School, as it later became known, was demolished in 1965.
In 1828 plans were made for a new Catholic church in Keith. St Thomas RC Church was completed 3 years later in 1831. It is said to be modelled after the church of St Maria‐de‐Vittoria in Rome, with an ornamental gable facing down towards Reidhaven Square. The dome was added in 1916.
The New Statistical Account of 1834 describes New Keith as a “clean, thriving‐like village”.17 The village is noted as the market town of the district with six annual markets for the sale of livestock and a weekly market on a Friday. Keith also boasted branches of three banks, all the principal merchants shops, a subscription library, the residences of solicitors and doctors and the inn “is the resort of all the commercial travellers”. The dark streets and closes were by now illuminated by gas lighting. In 1846 Samuel Lewis remarks that, ‘The numerous handsome shops are amply stored with merchandise of every description.’18 It is evident that the 19th century was a period of prosperity for New Keith.
When the railway came to Keith around 1856, it brought with it the opportunity for local industries to transport their goods more easily. The range of goods available from local shops would have increased while some local trades would have suffered from improved transport links, so we see the smithy on Mid Street demolished by 1881. The railway allowed the easy transportation of building materials from outside the immediate area and so many of the later 19th century buildings are constructed in sandstone, rather than the local schist. The burgh of Keith was formed in 1889 from Old and New Keith on the east bank of the Isla and Fife‐Keith on the west bank.
17 New Statistical Account of Scotland 1834‐45, vol.13, p.393 18 'Keanlochbervie ‐ Kilbride (Arran)', A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1846), Samuel Lewis, pp. 1‐22
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 17
OS Maps of Keith: 1869 (top) and 1905 (bottom)
During the 19th century development mostly continued on the existing pattern of the New Town. The dense urban grain left few sites for development but improvements were being made to the town and older buildings began to be replaced by new. The old school and townhouse in the square were demolished in 1879. In 1883, improvements to the town’s drainage systems were being considered by the Feuars and Heritors. The Commercial Hotel, formerly known as Annand’s Inn after the owner, Sanders Annand, was remodelled in 1897.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 18
The Commercial Hotel, Mid Street, c.1900, Moray Local Heritage Centre
George Burnett’s house and smithy, which stood at the corner of Mid Street and Union Street, was replaced by Mitchell’s Buildings in 1881. Images of the town at this time show one‐storey thatched houses along Mid Street. The house next to Burnett’s was replaced by the present building in 1877.19 The Institute, designed by FD Roberston of Fife‐Keith, was opened in 1886. The building held a small lecture hall, library museum, reading room, temperance café and billiard room. A fire in 1888 destroyed much of the building including the library, museum and most of the books. The building was rebuilt in 1889 with the addition of a clock tower, which had been omitted originally due to lack of funds.
Development outside the planned layout was limited. The later 19th century saw a group of villas built to the north of the conservation area, joining New Keith with the Strathisla Distillery along Seafield Road. The Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and Rectory were built in the same location in 1881. Other development was mostly in the form of individual buildings, such as the Turner Memorial Hospital.
By 1911 Keith’s population was 4499, almost the same as it would be in 2001, and the town was the chief agricultural centre of the
19 Moray Local Heritage Centre, Historic Photographs, Cross Street & North end of Mid Street, c.1850 & Cross Street and North End of Mid Street showing Mitchell’s Buildings c.1903. Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 19
county.20 The Post Office was built the same year, on the site of the Black Bull Inn.
Cross Street (now Union Street) and end of Mid Street showing Burnett’s smithy c.1850, Moray Local Heritage Centre
3.5 20th Century
Manufacturing, and in particular textiles, provided significant employment in Keith throughout the 20th century. Robert Laidlaw set up the Seafield woollen mill at Keith in 1900. Production peaked during the World War II and continued to be a good source of employment until the latter part of the 20th Century, as did the distilleries and the railways. However, since then a serious decline in most of the local industries has impacted on the community. In the early 1990s, after a succession of owners, the Seafield Mill was closed. After a serious fire in 2004, Tesco purchased the site and demolished the existing buildings. A new supermarket was built in 2008. Some of the plaques erected at the mill site to note extensions and improvements are now sited at the entrance to the Tesco site. Kynoch’s was sold in 1993 putting many people out of work. Isla Bank Mills were bought by the local authority and were converted and subdivided into business units.
20th century development within the conservation area was limited due to the tight urban grain in Mid Street and Reidhaven Square. The 1930s saw Cuthil Road and Cuthil Avenue laid out immediately to the west of the conservation area. Development here continued to spread westwards through the middle of the 20th century with Cameron Drive added in the 1960s followed in the 1970s by Viewfield and Quarryhill. Within the conservation area, a considerable amount of development took place in the cross lanes in
20 Banffshire, W. Barclay, 1922
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 20
the 1980s, mostly bungalow developments. These buildings are generally in styles and materials that are not traditional to the conservation area and have resulted in some dilution of the character and the original planned layout. The late 1960s and early 1970s also saw the formation of car parks in the lanes, merging feus and further diluting the original layout.
Isla Bank mills were redeveloped into business units
The downturn in Keith’s economic fortunes saw a lack of investment in the built environment in the latter half of the 20th century and historic buildings were lost. Some demolition and replacement of existing buildings took place, including the supermarket on Mid Street built in the 1970s, which replaced a one and a half storey traditional building seen on an aerial view of 1964. The Mansfield Hotel, a former manse on Chapel Street, fell into dereliction and the site is now occupied by a modern office building. A long‐term gap site (Nos 3‐6) on the south side of Reidhaven Square was redeveloped as housing in the 1980s. This area is shown as garden ground on 1869 OS Map. The Gordon Arms Hotel, a substantial three storey building at 70 Mid Street, similar in scale and style to the Seafield Arms, was roofless by 1978 and was demolished and replaced with the existing building, housing a hairdressers on the ground floor, in the early 1980s.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 21
4 Character Assessment
4.1 Spatial Analysis
4.1.1 Activities/Uses
The conservation area consists primarily of Reidhaven Square and Keith’s main shopping street: Mid Street. As such retail is perhaps the most significant activity in the conservation area with many ground floor retail or commercial units. Many small towns have suffered from the location of supermarkets outside the town centre. In Keith however, larger stores are reasonable close to Mid Street with one being located on Mid Street itself.
Mid Street Mid Street remains quite busy during the day and is an important area for social interaction within the town. However vacancy rates within the conservation area are poor in comparison with the Moray average for both retail and residential properties.
Given Mid Street’s gateway from Reidhaven Square and with the cross lanes promoting circulation, the street should be well‐ connected to rest of town. However, its built up nature and the location of most of the through traffic on the other side of the square leaves the street feeling isolated. Mid Street currently accommodates only one‐way traffic with on‐street car parking; however the combination of parked cars and the narrow pavements makes the street feel narrow and dominated by vehicular traffic.
4.1.2 Street pattern and urban grain
The survival of the planned grid‐iron layout is a very strong and significant feature of the conservation area. The town is laid out with three long parallel streets (Mid, Land and Moss Streets) running Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 22
north‐south with cross lanes providing east‐west connections. Reidhaven Square is located to the south of Mid Street with Chapel Street extending from the western side of the square towards the A‐ listed church. In the structure of the town Mid Street is rather isolated and invisible as most of the through traffic is taken by Moss Street (A96). Reidhaven Square is however generous, and a significant feature on the A96 route through the town.
Buildings front Mid Street, following a general building line directly on the pavement, with outbuildings descending in height on the generous plots, or feus, stretching back from Mid Street. Cross lanes run between every second building connecting Land Street, Mid Street and Moss Street. The densely knit Mid Street frontages give a strong impression of enclosure, amplified by the narrowness of the street. The survival of single‐storey cottages in both Mid Street and the lanes makes an important contribution to the character of the area, and adds to the visual interest of the street scene. The backland area in the lanes and the original feus are where most recent development has taken place, with the conservation area boundary having been revised in the 1980s to facilitate development here. The result is that the lanes have lost some of their historic character as non‐traditional materials and styles have been introduced. Subdivision of feus has resulted in loss of garden ground and boundary walls, which are a significant feature in the conservation area. Nonetheless the lanes do continue to have an informal charm which contributes to the setting of Mid Street. Mid Street itself has only one gap site where a building at 141‐143 has been demolished for redevelopment. This forms part of a priority site [see 6.4.1].
20th century development in the cross lanes
Moving from Mid Street into Reidhaven Square there feels like a significant change in scale. Although the buildings fronting the square are generally similar in height to those on Mid Street, their impact is reduced by the vast scale of the open space. Feus around Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 23
the square were slightly smaller than along Mid Street when first laid out and there has been further subdivision in this area. Reidhaven Square has roads leading in all four directions from it, although this was laid out with symmetry and order in mind, and only one of the roads leads out of town.
4.1.5 Open spaces, trees and landscape
Reidhaven Square, looking east (top) and the same view c.1900 (bottom), Moray Local Heritage Centre
Reidhaven Square is the most significant area of open space within the conservation area. Historic photographs from the turn of the century show us that it was once very crudely surfaced and one large open space. Attempts have been made in recent years to introduce landscaping and improvements to the Square in order to enhance the area and encourage increased use. This has included tree planting and other environmental improvements. A second phase of environmental improvements to Reidhaven Square has also been planned and planning permission approved. These works will include the demolition of the Reidhaven Square toilet block which would
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 24
open up the view along the Square to the historic category A‐listed RC Church. The square was traditionally the site of Keith’s weekly markets and the great Summer’s Eve Fair in September. The use of the square for markets and other events is being pursued by The Moray Council to bring life to the square and provide a function for the space. The annual Keith Country Show, in the tradition of the great Summer’s Eve Fair, is now held on Seafield Park to the south of the conservation area.
Open space along Mid Street is confined to the gardens and yards of the cross lanes. The amount of open space has been reduced by subdivision of feus and backland development. Where once these spaces would have been garden ground, they are increasingly associated with the commercial uses found on Mid Street.
The conservation area contains relatively few trees, due to the density of development along Mid Street. The majority of trees are found in the gardens behind Mid Street, visible from the lanes; or in Reidhaven Square where trees have recently been planted as part of ongoing environmental improvements. Trees are of particular importance in the framed views out of the conservation area.
4.1.6 Views, landmarks & focal points
The dense nature of Mid Street limits views within the conservation area. However, the topography of Keith allows some good views from Mid Street and the cross lanes out to the surrounding countryside. The rising and falling roofline of Mid Street and the changes in level along the street provide for good street views that are full of character. In much of the conservation area the buildings themselves form the boundary to the road and the cross lanes allow access to the rear of the feus.
View along Chapel Street
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 25
View down the lanes to the surrounding landscape
The glimpses down the lanes to ancillary buildings and garden ground, add variety and interest to the street scene. The views are slightly detracted from by the large numbers of parked cars along the roadside. Views and vistas were usually an important aspect of the kind of rational planning that resulted in the rigid grid‐iron layout of Keith. The view up Chapel Street terminating in the A‐listed St Thomas Church is particularly significant in the conservation area. Looking in the opposite direction, views from the Church along the square and out to the surrounding countryside will be opened up by the removal of the toilet block.
Views of special note within the conservation area are:
• views from Mid Street and the cross lanes out of the conservation area • glimpses between buildings and across the conservation area in the lanes • views over Reidhaven Square • the vistas down Mid Street • vista along Chapel Street, terminated by the church.
Within the conservation area buildings which stand out are often found on junctions where they terminate a vista or mark a corner. A good example is the Greigs building at 56‐66 Mid Street and 20‐21 Reidhaven Square. This well‐known building forms the corner block of Reidhaven Square and Mid Street and marks the entrance to Keith’s shopping street from the square. The building has been
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 26
vacant for many years and is currently in a poor state of repair. The properties are a mix of previous residential and commercial uses, and have recently gained an increased importance due to the Council’s upgrade of the square and its intended use for markets.
Other landmark buildings are the larger properties on Mid Street by virtue of their scale and grand architecture rather than their location. Examples include the Institute and the Post Office. The tower of the Institute is visible from many parts of the conservation area, and is a significant landmark in the area.
The Institute tower is a prominent landmark
4.2 Buildings Analysis
4.2.1 Building types
The earliest buildings in the conservation area are the first houses built as part of the new village. House building was largely dictated by the availability of materials and the first tenants would have used materials sourced locally in order to build their homes. The result is an architectural unity derived from common materials and building techniques, while the individuality of each building constructed to its owners tastes prevents monotony. Homes appear to have been quite modest, generally one‐storey with thatched roofs.
As Keith’s role as a market town grew these early buildings were replaced by more substantial and often much grander 19th century buildings. Trading was first carried out at markets and fairs, but by the late 18th century trading moved towards fixed shops with identifiable shopfronts. Initially these may have been adaptations of existing properties but many buildings in Mid Street would have been purpose built with shops on the ground floor and residential accommodation above. Properties fronting Reidhaven Square tend to be residential.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 27
Many of the houses have outbuildings to the rear accessed via the lanes. As the pressure for development has risen, these buildings have increasingly been converted for residential use. These ancillary buildings often have as much historical interest and character as the houses themselves, demonstrating past uses such as stores and workshops and the temporary nature of these types of structure, and hence their vulnerability. Glimpses of ancillary buildings through the narrow gaps between buildings add variety and interest to Mid Street.
4.2.2 Scheduled monuments
There are no scheduled monuments within the Keith Mid Street Conservation Area.
4.2.3 Key listed and unlisted buildings
The conservation area contains 23 list entries. Each list entry may cover more than one building (see Appendix 1). The conservation area also contains a large number of unlisted buildings that make a positive contribution to the character or appearance of the conservation area. Buildings identified as being positive will vary, but commonly they will be good examples of relatively unaltered historic buildings where their style, detailing and building materials provides the street or landscape with interest and variety. Most importantly, they make a positive contribution to the special interest of the conservation area.
Buildings from 1750 to 1800
2 Reidhaven Square, with a datestone inscribed ‘St James’s Operative Lodge No 250 Built 1796’ making it one of the older buildings in the conservation area. Rubble walling with painted window and door surrounds and modern replacement windows. The building is currently occupied as a dwelling house. Listed Category B.
17 Reidhaven Square, though to be one of the oldest surviving buildings in the conservation area, possibly with original fenestration. A two‐storey harled house with a centre door and small first floor windows. The building is currently vacant and forms part of the Greigs block for development. Listed Category B.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 28
18 Reidhaven Square, possibly of a similar date to No.17. Three bays to the west with possible later bay to the east. The westernmost bay has windows with proportions very similar to those at No.17 while to the east the fenestration pattern changes with much larger paired windows. The building is currently vacant with boarded windows. It forms part of the Greigs development block. The Crown Inn, late 18th century corner range with entrances to Reidhaven square and Mid Street. Rubble walling with a mixture of window styles but traditionally single pane or six over six sashes. Evidence of alterations to window and door openings on the Mid Street elevation and modern dormers to Reidhaven Square. The building is currently in use as a public house. 56‐66 Mid Street and 20‐21 Reidhaven Square (‘Greigs’ building) Late 18th century two‐storey corner group in a very prominent position. Shop windows at ground floor are currently boarded up and the building has stood empty for some years now. However, the building is well known and liked with its distinctive pale green signage. Rubble walls with painted window and door surrounds, although historic photos suggest that the building may have been rendered or painted in the early 20th century. Surviving early 19th century stone shopfront is a significant feature. The building is currently on the Buildings at Risk Register. Seafield Arms Hotel, built 1762 for the Earl of Seafield. Symmetrical three‐storey building with painted and rendered facade lined as ashlar and floral carvings above the doors and windows, which dates from the later 19th century. Fenestration is more irregular to the lane and there are long two storey projections to the rear. The corbelled angle with corner entrance would have allowed carts access to the lane and the rear of the building. The building is occupied as offices.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 29
7‐9 Chapel Street, mid to later 18th century house with two‐storeys and an attic. Rubble walling characteristic of Keith with rendered margins. Five bays with central gablet to Chapel Street. The building has modern replacement windows and a concrete tiled roof. It is occupied as residential accommodation.
Buildings from 1800 to 1850
8 Reidhaven Sq and 50‐54 Mid Street a two‐storey corner range of coursed rubble with polished ashlar dressings. Built in the early 19th century. One of the grander houses in the conservation area with a corniced and pilastered door surround. Mostly six over six timber sash windows with modern replacement windows on the ground floor to Mid Street. The building is in retail use on the ground floor on Mid Street and residential use elsewhere. Listed Category B. North Church of Scotland, Mid Street a rectangular church built by A and W Reid in 1845‐6. Simple galleried interior with cast iron columns. The manse on the opposite side of Church Road outside the conservation area is by the same firm and the same date. Listed Category B.
Cuthill House, 11 Chapel Street a two‐ storey house with an ashlar frontage and pedimented entrance. Modern dormers. The building is generally in good condition with traditional timber two over two sash windows. Listed Category B.
12 Chapel Street built in 1830 with rubble walling. Previously had multi‐pane glazing and a decorative fanlight above the central entrance. Windows and doors now replaced with modern units. Listed Category C(s).
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 30
St Thomas RC Church, Chapel Street built in 1831 by Father Walter Lovi and William Robertson of Elgin as a neoclassical cruciform church. Father Walter Lovi was priest at Keith between 1835‐37 and is thought to have designed RC churches at Wick, Braemar and Chapelton, Glenlivet. The dome was added in 1916 by CJ Menart of Glasgow. Listed Category A. 123a Mid Street a small cottage fronting a cross lane off Mid Street. Built in the earlier 19th century it has one storey of rubble construction in the local stone. The building is in use as residential accommodation. Windows and doors appear to be modern but are traditional in character. 73 Mid Street 19th century residential property. Rubble walling with rendered ground floor frontage. Paired sash windows at ground floor. Modern uPVC replacements at first floor. In use as residential accommodation.
Buildings from 1850 to 1925
49 & 51 Mid Street built c.1860 in a neo‐ Tudor style. Forms the corner of Reidhaven Square and lower Mid Street. Now subdivided into flats. The building retains its distinctive narrow two and four pane sash windows. Listed Category B.
98 Mid Street later 19th century substantial house. Original timber sash windows survive in segmental‐headed openings. Ashlar frontage is suffering from delamination and stone erosion. Angled bay on the south east corner. Occupied as dwelling house. Listed Category C(s). 104‐108 Mid Street dated 1879. Two‐ storey commercial building with coursed rubble frontage. Unusual pedimented skewputs. Central entrance with pilasters (now a window) flanked by three‐bay shops with recessed central doors. uPVC windows have been installed to upper floors. Shopfronts are not original but traditional in character.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 31
105‐107 Mid Street later 19th century commercial building. Three‐storeys with classical detailing such as pilasters to the ground floor. Central entrance flanked by three‐bay modern shopfronts. First and second floors retain traditional timber sash windows in segmental‐headed openings. Upper floors and one shop unit currently vacant. The building is suffering from some dampness, staining and vegetation growth on the front elevation, most likely due to malfunctioning rainwater goods. Listed Category B. 115‐117 Mid Street later 19th century building remarkable for the survival of original shopfronts. Each with recessed entrance, cast‐iron columns, classical detailing and panelled aprons. First floor flats are currently vacant but retain traditional timber sashes. Listed Category B. The Post Office, 130‐132 Mid Street thought to be designed by Duncan MacMillan and dated 1911. The bullfaced rubble used on the front façade and the scale of the building create a landmark building. The building is currently still in use by the Post Office on the ground floor with flats above. POST OFFICE signage on an ashlar fascia at first floor. Suffering from water penetration and vegetation growth on the front façade. The Institute, 138‐140 Mid Street designed by FD Robertson and built in 1885. A fire in 1888 destroyed much of the building and it was rebuilt in 1889 with the octagonal clock tower. Italianate detailing. Currently in use by Moray Council.
161‐163 Mid Street, the former Aberdeen and County Bank and bank agent’s house, designed by JD Corrigall in 1908. Now a Clydesdale Bank. Asymmetric three‐bay façade with pediment in right hand bay. Listed Category C(s).
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 32
176‐180 Mid Street, built c.1860. Shops with dwellings above. Interesting survival of good quality original shopfronts, with narrow cast‐iron pilasters and recessed entrances. Both have modern glazing. Modern uPVC central door and glazing at first floor. Listed Category B. Royal Hotel, built 1883 in a Baronial style on the corner of Church Road and Mid Street. Commercial unit on ground floor at the corner. Corner turret with entrance. Central crowstepped gable on each elevation. Some traditional timber sashes, second floor mostly replaced in uPVC. Rainwater goods blocked and causing dampness, staining and vegetation growth. 184 Mid Street, previously known as Mitchell’s Buildings. Replaced Burnett’s smithy in 1881. Ground floor retail unit with corner entrance, classical detailing and painted fascia. Ground floor largely unaltered externally. Modern glazing to first floor. Roof has been replaced with machine cut imported slate.
No buildings of merit were identified post 1925.
4.2.4 Materials & local details
In Keith the most important materials are stone and slate.
For walls, buildings are traditionally built in type of stone known as schist, quarried locally. Schists are not frequently used as building stone. The high mica content of the stone results in quite a distinctive texture and a glittery quality. Most buildings in the conservation area employ a rubble walling or in some cases where the stone is cut into more regular blocks, snecked walling (irregular coursing). Later buildings use other types of natural stones brought in from outside the immediate locality. A pink granite is popular, along with more common buff sandstones. In some buildings differing colours of stone are used to a decorative effect.
Stonework is mostly left bare but in some cases render or a harl is applied. There is little evidence of traditional lime harls, which have been replaced with modern cement based dry dash renders that are alien to the conservation area.
Generally, applied colours within the conservation area are muted pastels or white, often with banding in a contrasting colour around windows and doors. A range of pointing styles have been used within the conservation area, particularly in cases of rubble walling where sneck‐harling is common. In some cases stonework has been repointed in an unsympathetic style or in damaging cement mortar.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 33
Cement mortars cause stone decay and are unattractive and visually intrusive.
Roofs are traditionally a dark blue slate, although there are instances where the roofs of traditional buildings have been replaced in modern materials. Early slate roofs would likely have been of the West Highland variety, laid in diminishing courses. In the later 19th century, slates were machine dressed to a more regular size and shape. Some roofs appear to have been replaced with imported, regular machine‐cut slates, which does not match the texture, and colour of the traditional roof finishes. Clay ridge tiles are often used. The roof pitches are generally steep with prominent chimneys, skews and moulded skewputs.
Chimneys, skews and skewputs provide rhythm at roof level
Chimneys, skews and skewputs are an important feature in the conservation area, providing a rhythm along the street and enlivening the roof‐scape. Many traditional red or yellow chimney cans survive in the conservation area, with most of the styles being quite plain. Occasionally skews are decorative. Crow steps appear occasionally along Mid Street for decorative effect.
Apart from the roofs and walls, the historic buildings in the conservation area are enlivened by the use of timber windows and doors, the design of which varies according to the status of the house. Windows are traditionally timber sash and case and usually vertically proportioned and painted white or a dark colour. There are various glazing patterns found within the conservation area, but many are 6 over 6 or single‐lights. Doors are generally panelled to front elevations and the higher status properties, with simple timber vertically boarded doors to more modest buildings in the lanes. Dormer windows are found frequently within the conservation area, enabling the roof space behind the typically steep roofs to be used effectively. Original wall‐head dormers are often features of later 19th century buildings. However, most dormers are likely to be later additions. These are most frequently piended dormers, or sometimes flat roofed dormers, both with slated haffits.
Decorative metalwork can be found on several of the buildings in the conservation area, particularly the grander 19th century buildings. Finials, balustrading and rainwater goods all survive, although many
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 34
examples are incomplete or in poor condition. Several Victorian cast iron classical shopfronts remain, contributing significantly to the character of Mid Street.
Traditional shopfronts, where they survive, are generally in two phases. Earlier shopfronts (early 19th century) have a higher proportion of wall to window with smaller windows separated by stone piers. These windows often follow the fenestration pattern of the domestic windows above, although usually larger, forming part of an overall pattern of openings for the building. Later 19th century shopfronts were heavily influenced by the availability of large sheets of plate glass and cast iron. The framing of these shopfronts tends to be lighter and more slender with classical detailing such as columns and pilasters. The cast‐iron and timber detailing, and the splayed windows created a depth to the shopfront which modern shop facades frequently fail to replicate.
Architectural features found in the conservation area
Surviving examples of decorative tilework and mosaics are found occasionally along Mid Street, relating to the commercial properties. A good example is found at the Barbers at 167 Mid Street where a
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 35
green tiled panel designed by James Duncan in the doorway refers to the Buttercup Dairy Company shop, which once occupied this site.
Buildings in the back lanes are generally more modest than those fronting the street, and the materials and construction methods found in the lanes reflect this hierarchy. Rubble walling is common and the use of renders and harls is also popular, to mask the use of cheaper materials. Red brick is also occasionally found in the lanes area. Outbuildings and ancillary buildings have frequently been altered; however they are often not priority buildings for upgrading, leading to interesting survivals of traditional features. Timber vertically‐boarded doors are traditional for these areas. Corrugated iron cladding and timber boarding are traditional cladding methods found on workshops and ancillary buildings.
Buildings are generally set directly on the roadside and so boundaries are limited to the cross lanes. Here they are most usually marked by stone rubble or snecked rubble walls of 1‐2m.
Materials and features in the cross lanes
4.2.6 Condition
One of the greatest threats to any heritage site is the loss of historic fabric through decay and damage, reducing the authenticity of the site. The vast majority of the buildings within the conservation area are traditionally constructed and despite some building defects and apparent lack of maintenance they remain robust and in sound structural condition. Many buildings however, have suffered from a lack of basic maintenance in recent years. Blocked or missing rainwater goods are common, resulting in unsightly damp, stained patches, vegetation growth and rainwater running down the facade
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 36
of the buildings. Two buildings are included on the Buildings at Risk Register, compiled by the Scottish Civic Trust on behalf of Historic Scotland. These are discussed at 4.2.7.
A common significant threat to the historic fabric is inappropriate modern details, such as replacement windows, doors and boundaries. A very high proportion of original doors and windows have been replaced throughout the conservation area. Replacement uPVC windows are common, particularly where buildings, or parts of buildings, are in residential use. Replacement windows are rarely a close match to the detailing of the windows that have been replaced and the cumulative impact of these changes in detailing has had a negative effect on the character of the conservation area. Traditional cast iron rainwater goods have frequently been repaired or replaced with PVC sections or have been poorly maintained.
Shopfronts make an important contribution to the character of Keith and several traditional shopfronts survive without major changes. However in many places shopfronts, or their constituent parts, have been replaced by modern materials and features.
As commercial activity has decreased in Mid Street in general, there have been cases of previously commercial properties being occupied as dwellings. Where this change of use is allowed to occur it inevitably leads to a loss of traditional shopfronts, a dilution of the character of the conservation area and contributes to the continued decline of retail activity on the street. This effect is particularly notable at the southern end of Mid Street and the entrance to Reidhaven Square.
4.2.7 Buildings at risk
Vacant commercial premises detract from the character of Mid Street
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 37
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area suffers from a number of vacant commercial units at ground floor level on Mid Street, contributing to a lack of vitality and an air of neglect in the conservation area. Most of these properties, while currently vacant and suffering from minor defects due to lack of maintenance, are still in sound condition. While their reuse and continued upkeep should be encouraged, their physical condition is not currently a significant cause for concern.
There are two buildings within the conservation area which are on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland, maintained by the Scottish Civic Trust on behalf of Historic Scotland.
19‐21 Chapel Street
The early 19th century house and cottage are boarded up and redundant. The buildings are located in a prominent position close to A‐listed St Thomas church.
‘Greigs’ Building (56‐66 Mid Street and 20‐21 Reidhaven Square)
The building is redundant and boarded up but in fair condition. There is some evidence of minor structural movement, some slipped slates and generally the property is in need of maintenance.
4.3 Public realm audit
Poor quality surfaces in Mid Street
Historic photographs show the road surfaces in the conservation area to have been fairly simple. Mid Street had narrow pavements as exist today with stone paving and kerbs and areas of cobbles at junctions with the cross lanes. Reidhaven Square is shown in the early 20th century as being a very crude surface, possibly simple
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 38
packed earth, with slightly raised areas around the trees. Today the road surfaces are fairly low quality and degraded. The roads are generally tarmac, with concrete pavements. In the cross lanes off Mid Street, there is a more informal character with less finished road surfaces of concrete or tarmac.
Pavements in Mid Street are relatively narrow and the dense development on both sides of the street increases the feeling of enclosure. The narrow street feels dominated by parking, although the majority of traffic through Keith is accommodated by Moss Street (A96). This canyon effect, poor quality surfaces and the dominance of vehicular traffic contribute to a poor pedestrian environment and makes appreciation of the shopfronts and historic architecture more difficult.
Clockwise from top left: Telephone box outside the Institute; finger sign on
the square; traditional street lighting; street name signage.
Environmental improvements have recently been carried out in Reidhaven Square, including the planting of 13 deciduous trees, the resurfacing and relining of car parking spaces and the laying of 800 square metres of concrete pedestrian surfacing. This work is designed to improve the gateway to Mid Street, and allow the use of the square for farmers and continental markets. Further work including the removal of the existing toilet block, opening up views from the A96 to the square and St Thomas’ Church, have been approved subject to funding.
Due to the narrow pavements on Mid Street, opportunities for the introduction of street furniture are limited. The usual litter bins and public telephone boxes are of standard off‐the peg designs which, while unobtrusive, do not enhance the conservation area or the Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 39
setting of the adjacent buildings. Street lighting in the Mid Street Conservation Area is provided by traditional round lanterns. Lanterns are also found on brackets attached to buildings. These add variety and interest to the street scene. Electrical and communications wiring features frequently on the facades of historic buildings, detracting from their appearance. Satellite dishes are frequently found on the front elevations of buildings, and where buildings are in multiple occupation they accumulate, detracting from the historic environment.
Some signage is provided within the conservation area in the form of traditional finger signs. Street names are traditionally positioned on the corners of buildings, with white lettering on a black background. In other places street names signs are more modern plastic replacements in a traditional style with raised black lettering on white background.
Historic boundary walls in the cross lanes Boundary walls are a significant feature of the conservation area, particularly in the cross lanes where they mark the original feus as laid out in the mid 18th century. Walls range from around a metre to 2 metres and are generally rubble or snecked natural stone.
Interpretation boards can be found in Reidhaven Square with information relating to the history of Keith and the improvement work carried out in the square. Although plaques must be sited sensitively, their use can be an excellent way to encourage engagement and pride in the historic environment.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 40
4.4 Development Opportunities
The dense pattern of development along Mid Street has resulted in few gap sites for development, and new building has mostly taken place in backland areas in the lanes. It is felt that further development in the lanes should be subject to the controls of conservation area designation to ensure that the character of the conservation area is protected. An extension of the conservation area boundary to include the lanes is discussed at 5.4.1.
Gap sites on Mid Street (top) and Chapel Street (bottom) detract from the historic environment.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 41
A gap site exists on Mid Street at Nos 139‐143 where a building was demolished. The site currently has planning permission approved for a flatted development. The reinstatement of a building on this site would have a positive impact on the streetscape and appearance of Mid Street.
A further gap site exists on Chapel Street adjacent to No.2 and the new office building. This site, an area of apparently disused open ground, currently detracts from the historic environment in this area, particularly given its proximity to the A‐listed church. It is considered that the redevelopment or improvement of this site should be encouraged in order to enhance the conservation area.
4.5 Character Areas
Although there are variations in character within the conservation area, the area as a whole is brought together by the survival of the historic plan and a similarity of massing and scale, plot sizes and materials. The conservation area as currently designated is relatively small and no individual character areas were identified. However if the recommendation to extend the conservation area is accepted, there may be merit in defining character areas.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 42
5 Analysis
5.1 Key Features & Assessment of Significance
Having carried out an assessment of the buildings and areas it is now possible to identify the key features which define the special architectural and historic character of the area:
• a significant and influential early example of an 18th century planned layout which survives largely intact • good examples of 18th and 19th century domestic architecture in the vernacular tradition of the north‐east of Scotland • use of an unusual building stone (schist) with a distinctive appearance and texture • survival of traditional shopfronts and 19th century commercial properties on Mid Street • landmark buildings such as the Institute embody the prosperity and confidence of the 19th century • a large town square, previously the site of markets, providing a gateway to Mid Street • views and vistas generated by the grid‐iron layout to landmark buildings and the surrounding landscape.
5.2 Negative Factors
A number of negative factors have been identified and are listed below. Specific matters considered to merit particular attention are highlighted in Section 5.3:
• lack of maintenance has created an impression of neglect in the conservation area and has led in many cases to more serious building defects • insensitive and overdominant shopfront and signage alterations • the replacement of traditional materials and details and the introduction of inappropriate and poorly sited modern features has led to a loss of historic fabric and a negative impact on the character of the conservation area • insensitive parking arrangements mean streets are lined with parked vehicles • poor quality pavement surfaces in some areas and uninspiring public realm, detracting from the high quality built environment • the conservation area contains two Buildings at Risk, and several more vacant or underused properties • backland development has had an impact on the informal charm and character of the cross lanes.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 43
5.3 Specific Issues
A number of issues have been picked up during the appraisal, which are considered to merit particular attention. These issues will be addressed in the Action Plan.
5.3.1 Rainwater goods
Damaged and poorly‐maintained rainwater goods are common in the conservation area
Defective or missing rainwater goods are prevalent in the Keith Mid Street Conservation Area. Where repairs have taken place they have frequently been carried out in inappropriate low quality materials. Blocked gutters are a common sight, an issue likely caused by the expense and inconvenience of procuring equipment to safely clear gutters at a height of two of three storeys on the narrow street. In other places rainwater goods have fallen into disrepair and poorly repaired, or not replaced so that they fail to perform correctly.
Poorly functioning (or nonexistent) guttering and downpipes will lead to more serious building defects. Failure in any single element can allow large volumes of water to pour into walls. The porous nature of traditional walls means that they can become quickly saturated. Many buildings feature green patches where the stonework has become saturated with rainwater and stained. Vegetation growing out of gutters and stonework is a common sight. Vegetation will then continue to trap moisture, impede the discharge of water and damage stonework.
5.3.2 Signage and shopfronts
Keith has a tradition as a town of traders, merchants and markets. Some traditional shopfronts survive on Mid Street, mostly belonging to the later 19th century. Many of these feature cast iron, with classical details such as columns and pilasters and large panes of glass. One of the best examples is I.G. Thomson the butchers at 156 Mid Street with cast‐iron columns, timber window frames, leaded upper windows and a traditional painted sign. Earlier shopfronts were more domestic in character with enlarged ground floor windows with stone piers, either side of a double storm door into a small square lobby. Steptoes at 103 Mid Street and the Greigs building are good examples of this. Many other shopfronts retain some traditional details such as metal arms for sun blinds and Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 44
awnings, mosaic lobby floors and tiled panels, and even original doors. These features should be retained where they exist.
Top row: Traditional shopfronts Middle: Mid Street in 1903, when signage was discreet and traditional Bottom row: 21st century shopfronts
New signage and decorative schemes have compromised these traditional details in many instances. Historic photographs show us that traditionally the retailer’s name has been fairly discreet, applied to the stone or to a fascia and usually handpainted. The trend today is for much larger applied fascias often in plastic and bright colours, which is far more dominant than the traditional decorative scheme and detracts from the historic townscape.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 45
5.3.3 Windows
The majority of historic and traditional windows within the conservation area have been removed in favour of modern replacements. The appearance of windows is a significant factor in shaping the overall character of the building and householders often place great importance on being able to improve them. Thousands of historic timber windows are lost each year because people believe they are beyond repair, or energy‐inefficient, and as a result many old buildings and historic areas suffer a profound deterioration in their character. This is despite the fact that buyers are increasingly attracted to properties with period features. The damage that may be caused by the replacement of any window which is historically and architecturally correct with a modern unit made from a different material, to a different design or with different method of opening should not be underestimated. In conservation areas the effect can be felt well beyond the building itself and these small changes in character can have a potentially immense effect on the character of the area.
Flatted properties do not enjoy the same permitted development rights as dwelling houses, and so many of the residential properties on Mid Street are already likely to require planning permission to replace or otherwise alter their windows.
Modern replacement windows (top) and traditional timber sashes (bottom)
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 46
6 The Conservation Area Action Plan
6.1 Context
This conservation area assessment sits within a bigger picture of regenerating the economy and built environment of Keith. Over the past five years local agencies The Moray Council, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and local community group Keith Strathisla Regeneration Partnership (KSRP) have worked together to regenerate Keith. They commissioned a study in 2006 ‘The Keith Urban Design Framework’ which recommended improvements to the built environment of the town. The partners also helped form the Moray Towns Partnership which seeks to take forward economic development projects in four of Moray’s main towns. Keith is an integral part of this Moray Towns Partnership process with KSRP being Keith’s representation on the steering group. As part of this process a vision and three year action plan was produced for Keith in 2008.
The Moray Community Planning partners are working to fulfil the pledges of the major document ‘Moray 2020’ which recommends ‘transformation programmes for Moray’s towns’ including Keith. It is hoped that a Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme will improve the economy by making the area more attractive and thereby reduce the number of vacant business and residential properties. The town of Keith has its own distinctive objectives within the Council’s Development plan. A key objective for Keith is ‘to promote economic activity and retain town centre vitality’ – the regeneration of the conservation area fits well with this objective, as the conservation area and the defined town centre cover virtually identical areas. These documents identify the need for a regeneration strategy for Keith that encompasses comprehensive regeneration of the economic fortunes and historic core of the town.
Keith’s location in rural Moray and the closure of its traditional industries has made it hard to overcome personal and economic deprivation. Historically, the population of the town has been ageing, and three‐quarters of 17/18 year olds brought up in the area leave (Moray 2020 report). This makes it hard to raise incomes and asset values and means that opportunities for growth are extremely precious.
Good conservation practice for town centres recognises the pressures for change (including loss of historic fabric through lack of resources to invest) and seeks to strengthen the assets and qualities of the historic town, including the traditional businesses and uses within it while seeking to expand and develop the activities and attractions of the place. Reinvigorating the commercial life of Keith is, perhaps, the best way to ensure that the historic core of the town survives with viable uses well into the foreseeable future.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 47
6.2 Conservation Strategy
6.2.1 Conservation principles
Specific objectives can be seen as follows:
• protecting and enhancing the quality and value of the historic built environment through targeted investment to repair historic fabric, restoring missing detail and bringing vacant and derelict historic buildings back into use • promoting the regeneration of the historic core of Keith, by encouraging business owners to invest in their properties and providing for new uses • enhancing the quality of the public realm, and protecting spaces with special qualities • strengthening existing statutory and economic initiatives, to both encourage investment and protect the historic environment • promoting the understanding, enjoyment and sustainable management of the heritage resource • increasing the attraction of the area as a place to live and visit.
These objectives can be achieved through encouragement supported by control:
• encouragement to carry out work, by offering financial assistance, providing training and raising public awareness of the conservation issues and techniques. It is hoped that this will be achieved through a Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme funded by Historic Scotland • control of unsuitable alterations or development, and establishing advice and guidance for work within the conservation area, through: use of the appraisal document boundary review design guidance
6.2.2 Assessing Priority
Overall, a study of the buildings within the conservation area leads to a view that it is vulnerable to a number of negative changes. These include:
• lack of commercial vitality leading to a lack of investment in property • resultant fabric deterioration creating a poor image • where changes have been made these have often been carried out cheaply, using poor quality materials and with little regard to the historic fabric • vacancy, underuse and, in some cases, dereliction
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 48
• buildings generally are suffering from a lack of good quality maintenance – gutters and downpipes in particular are poorly maintained and water damage to the building fabric is evident in many places.
The above creates a spiral of decline. Investment is necessary to reverse this and to bring about the repair and restoration of historic fabric. For this to be effective priorities need to be set out to ensure that effort is concentrated in areas where it can make the most impact.
The buildings in the conservation area have been assessed for of their current condition, degree of authenticity (or degree of loss of historic detail), visual impact and relative need for conservation work. Conservation work should be focussed on: • repairing historic fabric • restoring lost architectural detail and finishes • bringing derelict or vacant buildings back into use.
A clear strategy emerges that, in order of priority, focuses on the following: • buildings at risk – these need significant investment to ensure that the buildings survive and can be brought back into sustainable long‐term use • target properties – key buildings requiring investment in external works to repair the historic fabric • priority issues – issues identified as having a significant impact on the character of the area or the historic built fabric • following this the general historic fabric should be repaired and restored where necessary • public realm improvements.
6.3 Planning Action
6.3.1 Boundary Review
As part of the assessment, the boundaries of the conservation area were inspected and research was carried out into the historic development of the town. As noted in section 1.1 the existing boundary is drawn tightly around the buildings fronting Mid Street and Reidhaven Square. Many incongruities were noted, where the boundary includes modern buildings of little merit while missing out historic buildings of interest, or where the boundary cuts through buildings. It became apparent that the current conservation area excluded a significant part of the original planned layout, namely Moss Street and Land Street to either side of Mid Street. This was considered to be a significant omission as the survival of the planned layout is a very significant part of the historical and architectural interest of Keith. Although the development along Moss and Land Streets is more residential, less dense and less remarkable than Mid Street; the buildings are of a similar age, follow the same pattern of
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 49
development and use the same materials and construction techniques. The buildings retain a similar level of historic detail and fabric as the buildings fronting Mid Street. Land Street in particular houses several listed buildings. These two streets are significant in providing the setting for the commercial activity of Mid Street.
Land Street
The boundary to the south of Reidhaven Square, again wraps tightly around the square itself. The continuation of Mid Street to Seafield Park again forms part of the planned layout and as a quieter, more residential area, provides relief and contrast to the commercial activity of upper Mid Street.
Moss Street
It is therefore recommended that the conservation area boundary is amended to include development on Moss and Land Streets (see
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 50
Appendix 2). The extension of the boundary to include the majority of the planned layout would bring the cross lanes back under conservation area controls. The lanes have perhaps been overlooked in the past as contributors to the character of Keith, and backland development has been allowed to take place which is not always sympathetic to the historic townscape. It is felt that the enhancement and protection of the character of the lanes should be encouraged. In addition, the inclusion of Moss Street in an extended conservation area would offer opportunities for enhancements to take place which would make Mid Street more visible to passing traffic on the A96.
To the north the boundary is well defined by Church Road. No adjustments are proposed in this direction.
If the recommendation to extend the conservation area is accepted there may be merit in defining two character areas, one covering the Mid Street and Reidhaven Square area as the town centre and shopping street, while the other would cover the extended area which is more residential in character. There may also be merit in considering joining the two conservation areas of Mid Street and Fife‐Keith along Union Street to include the site of ‘Old Keith’ at the Auld Brig and the kirkyard. If the boundary extension is accepted it is recommended that an appraisal of the character of the extended area is carried out to supplement this document.
6.3.2 New Development in the Conservation Area
20th century development in Reidhaven Square
Private property owners and their professional advisors and contractors will play an important role in the process of regeneration, however it will be important to ensure that work is carried out to an appropriate standard. The conservation area
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 51
appraisal part of this document sets of the special architectural and historic character of Keith Mid Street Conservation Area, which it is considered desirable to protect and enhance. Proposals for developments within the conservation area should make reference to this document and any proposals assessed against the appraisal during the determination process. It may be appropriate to require a Design Statement for larger projects to set out how the development protects and enhances the character of the area. Views in and out of the conservation contribute to its special character and developments within and adjacent to the conservation area should be assessed for their impact on significant views.
The impact of new development on views in and out of the conservation area is significant
Design guidance for the area as a whole, for example on building heights and materials, should be supplemented with individual planning design briefs prepared for each development site. Planning briefs should also be prepared for development sites adjacent to the conservation area to ensure that these sites relate to the pattern and scale of the historic lanes and streets.
It is recommended that The Moray Council consider producing a Conservation Area Management Plan for Keith Mid Street Conservation Area setting out detailed guidance and policies for development in the conservation area.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 52
6.3.3 Article 4 directions
Currently, unless an Article 4 direction is in place, some types of alteration or improvement to a dwellinghouse in a conservation area are classed as permitted development, meaning planning permission is not required. This could include external cladding, window alterations etc. There are no Article 4 Directions in place for the Keith Mid Street Conservation Area as presently designated. Flatted properties do not enjoy the same permitted development rights as dwelling houses, and so many of the residential properties on Mid Street are already likely to require planning permission to carry out external alterations such as window replacement.
Small alterations such as satellite dishes can have a significant cumulative impact on character.
The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2011 Householder Permitted Development Rights: Consultation Paper (GPDO, available for consultation until January 2011) proposes a reduction in permitted development rights further in conservation areas, with a view to their protection and enhancement.
The GPDO consultation paper proposes that permitted development rights for Class 3 developments (Improvement or other alteration to the external appearance of a dwellinghouse; including replacement windows and doors, cladding, painting, new flue, satellite dish, etc) would not apply within a conservation area or if within the curtilage of a listed building. This is an increase in restrictions compared to the current 1992 Order. The document proposes that existing Article 4 directions should cease to have effect. Should this legislation be passed, it is felt that such controls would be sufficient to protect and enhance Keith Mid Street Conservation Area.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 53
It is therefore recommended that Article 4 Directions are not pursued at this time. Should the proposals of the GDPO consultation paper not take effect, The Moray Council is recommended to introduce Article 4 Directions. This will be particularly important if the boundary extension proposal is accepted, as the extended area will cover many properties which do currently have permitted development rights for small alterations.
Given the confusion which can arise over permitted development within conservation areas, the council may wish to consider producing or reissuing guidance on permitted development in conservation areas, particularly in light of any updated legislation in 2011.
6.4 Conservation Action
For the Conservation Strategy to be effective, resources will need to be targeted. Priorities for funding must be identified in order to achieve significant improvements. A strategy for conservation work to repair and restore the historic fabric in the conservation area was identified at 6.2.1. This strategy focuses on the following: • buildings at risk – these need significant investment to ensure that the buildings survive and can be brought back into sustainable long‐term use • target properties – key buildings requiring investment in external works to repair the historic fabric • priority issues ‐ issues identified as having a significant impact on the character of the area or the historic built fabric • following this the general historic fabric should be repaired and restored • public realm improvements.
6.4.1 Key Projects
Throughout the conservation area a number of buildings have been identified as both contributing significantly to the character of the area and being in need of significant repair, restoration and, in several cases, the return of vacant space to use. The restoration and reuse of these buildings is felt to be key in the regeneration of Mid Street, and these projects could be catalysts for increased investment and economic development throughout the town. Five key buildings have been identified as priorities in the following order:
1. ‘Greigs’ building (56‐66 Mid Street & 17‐21 Reidhaven Square) 2. 135‐137 Mid Street 3. 19‐21 Chapel Street 4. Post Office (130‐132 Mid Street) 5. 96‐98 Mid Street
These projects are outlined below, with recommended works and estimated costs.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 54
Greigs Building (56‐66 Mid Street & 17‐21 Reidhaven Square)
This set of 8 properties, known locally as the ‘Greigs’ building form the corner block between the Square and Mid Street. The 2006 ‘Keith Urban Design Study’ recognised the importance of Reidhaven Square as an entrance to Keith off the A96 and as a connection to Keith’s main shopping street (Mid Street). This property lies at this crucial entrance to Mid Street from the Square. The properties are a mix of previous residential and commercial uses, but have been vacant and boarded up for many years. The property has an added recent importance because it fronts the area in the Square which has been granted permission to hold occasional farmers and continental markets.
The Greigs block is currently on the Buildings at Risk Register at a ‘moderate’ risk level (based on a 2008 site visit). This means that the building is in a fair condition but is deteriorating. There are concerns that the building could suffer further decay leading to more serious problems. The priority block also includes numbers 17 and 18 Reidhaven Square. No.17 is listed at Category B and is thought to be the earliest surviving house in the conservation area. The block has been acquired by a local developer and plans have been lodged with the council for two retail units on ground floor plus residential development. The planning application has not yet been approved. Discussions with the developer have taken place in the course of this Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 55
assessment and he has indicated that he is interested in securing grant funding and is open to making some alterations to his current plans to retain the maximum historic fabric and therefore bring the project in line with the conservation principles set out at 6.2.1.
Outline Costs
Estimated costs for grant eligible works: £244,335 non‐grant eligible works: £392,150 Total: £636,485 Repairs (% of grant eligible costs): 100% Restoration of architectural features (% 0%21 grant eligible costs): For a detailed breakdown of costs see Appendix 3.
Windows Assess for repair or replacement. Repair where possible. Assume 50% replacement.
Rainwater goods Retained where possible and overhauled. Replacement where necessary.
Signage Retain and restore traditional shop signage
21 Grant eligible works are those defined as eligible for grant funding under Historic Scotland guidelines for Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme funding. ‘Repair’ works and ‘restoration of architectural features‘ are those works identified as such under HLF guidelines for THI funding.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 56
External Painting Repaint window and door surrounds
Stonework No.17 – investigate possible damp issues at ground floor level. May require tanking. No.17 & 18 Remove existing render and replace with traditional lime based render. Remove external wiring & satellite dish Roofs Repairs to replace slipped slates.
Doors Front elevations: Repaired and repainted. Replacement on No.17 & 18 with timber boarded doors. Rear elevations: Replacement with timber boarded doors.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 57
Outbuildings (fronting Reidhaven Square) Repair and repaint timber boarding and door Reopen doorway and install timber boarded door.
Demolitions Demolish modern extensions to rear and make good.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 58
135‐137 Mid Street
This building, along with its recently demolished neighbouring property (No.141‐143), has been a longstanding ‘eyesore’ within the very heart of Keith’s main shopping street. After standing empty for several years the building was bought by a local developer who has recently been granted planning permission to develop this property and its adjacent vacant plot. Those plans include a number of flats on the vacant land, retaining one existing flat and a new salon and office.
It is recognised that some elements of those plans are not in line with the conservation principles set out in this document, or with conservation best practice. Modern uPVC window units have already been installed in the existing building. Discussions with the owner took place during the assessment process and he has indicated an interest in obtaining grant funding for works to repair and improve the site. Although planning permission has been granted, the owner is open to making changes to those plans to restore historic detail and ensure that traditional materials and techniques are used.
Outline Costs
Estimated costs for grant eligible works: £91,080 non‐grant eligible works: £41,745 Total: £132,825 Repairs (% of grant eligible costs): 72.2% Restoration of architectural features (% 27.8% grant eligible costs): For a detailed breakdown of costs see Appendix 3.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 59
Windows All uPVC windows to be replaced with traditional timber sashes (x8)
Rainwater goods Appear to be missing. Total replacement in cast iron. Shopfront Traditional shopfront reinstatement.
Stonework Vegetation removal. Repointing to gables and front elevation. Render rear and stair leaving quoin stones expressed. Relocation of soil pipe and gas mains to rear (currently on side elevation to lane)
Roofs Roof visibility limited. Assume limited repairs.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 60
Doors Replace front door as part of shopfront reinstatement. Rear: 1x uPVC & 2x timber to be replaced with traditional timber boarded doors.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 61
19‐21 Chapel Street
This building has lain empty and boarded up for many years and its close proximity to the Category A‐Listed RC Church makes its vacancy more conspicuous and detrimental to the character of the area. The building is currently on the Buildings at Risk Register as ‘low’ risk. A local developer has been granted planning permission for developing the building as residential property. The permission is to alter, extend and refurbish the existing two houses to form three houses. This involves altering and extending the property. Currently, these proposals are not considered to represent best practice for development in a conservation area as they involve demolition of the existing traditional cottage and significant alterations to the frontage. Discussions have taken place with the agent during the assessment process and it is hoped that a solution can be found for a financially viable development which retains maximum historic fabric and makes minimal interventions into the existing structure. It is recognised that the site is constrained at the rear, limiting opportunities for extension. However, it is considered that a solution can be achieved and the agent indicated that the owner would be willing to negotiate changes to the current proposals to bring the project into the CARS.
Outline Costs
Estimated costs for grant eligible works: £111,255 non‐grant eligible works: £202,400 Total: £313,655 Repairs (% of grant eligible costs): 100% Restoration of architectural features (% 0% grant eligible costs): For a detailed breakdown of costs see Appendix 3.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 62
Windows Currently boarded – assess condition for repair or replacement. Assume 50% replacement.
Rainwater goods Repair where possible. Replacement in cast iron
Stonework Pick and repoint. Stone repairs where necessary.
Roofs Felt roof tiles replaced with natural slate. Replace ridge tiles.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 63
Doors Replace two timber panelled doors to front. 1x timber boarded door to rear.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 64
Post Office (130‐132 Mid Street)
The ground floor of this building is still leased to the Post Office for sorting and it is thought that the first floor flat is also now let. Although occupied, the building is showing conspicuous signs of neglect, and is situated in the heart of the town’s main shopping street. The building is suffering from failed rainwater goods and possible damp issues which have caused significant vegetation growth on the front facade. The current owner has no plans to repair the property but has expressed interest in taking part in a Keith CARS, i.e. CARS would stimulate repair and maintenance action. The building is considered to be a landmark in Mid Street and its repair would act as a catalyst for further investment in the building fabric of Keith. It is also known that the Post Office is reducing the amount of space they let in the building. Repair and conservation work would ensure that the building is able to continue to attract tenants, ensuring its continued use and maintenance.
Outline Costs
Estimated costs for grant eligible works: £53,445 non‐grant eligible works: N/A Total: £53,445 Repairs (% of grant eligible costs): 100% Restoration of architectural features (% 0% grant eligible costs): For a detailed breakdown of costs see Appendix 3.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 65
Windows Traditional sash windows – repair, repaint.
Rainwater goods Replace and repair where possible
Signage Retain and restore original signage.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 66
Stonework Vegetation removal. Investigate possible cause of damp & vegetation growth above doors.
Roofs Assume limited roof repairs. Doors Timber panelled – retain and revarnish x2 to front.
Lighting Repair existing traditional light. Replace modern CCTV unit.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 67
96‐98 Mid Street
This building is currently occupied as a dwelling house. The ashlar sandstone frontage is in poor condition with serious delamination of the stone. Delamination occurs where the stone has been laid incorrectly, allowing the outer faces of the stone to fail. It is not generally recommended to carry out significant stone repairs for purely aesthetic reasons. An ashlar wall can withstand a considerable degree of erosion and distress before indenting work is required. In this case, there are concerns that some of the stonework is now loose and liable to fall off. Some of the stonework and decorative detailing is also considered to be potentially unstable and possibly structurally unsound. For these reasons it is felt that some work is required to assess the condition of the stonework, the rate of decay and the structural stability of the frontage. Works can then be carried out as necessary to remedy the issue. It appears that the rainwater goods may be in poor condition, exacerbating the stone erosion issue.
Outline Costs
Estimated costs for grant eligible works: £49,145 non‐grant eligible works: N/A Total: £49,145 Repairs (% of grant eligible costs): 100% Restoration of architectural features (% 0% grant eligible costs): For a detailed breakdown of costs see Appendix 3.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 68
Windows Repaired and repainted.
Rainwater goods Repair where possible. Replacement in cast iron Stonework Condition assessment of stone frontage carried out. Remove loose stonework. Where delamination affects structural stability or function of stonework – indenting in natural sandstone to match existing. Indenting is not recommended for purely aesthetic reasons.
Summary of Costs
Project Grant Non grant Total eligible costs eligible costs Greigs building £244,335 £392,150 £636,485 135‐137 Mid Street £91,080 £41,745 £132,825 19‐21 Chapel £111,255 £202,400 £313,655 Street Post Office £53,445 N/A £53,445 96‐98 Mid Street £49,145 N/A £49,145 TOTAL: £549,260 £636,295 £1,185,555
Note: It should be noted that the works set out in this document have been identified based on limited external surveys of the existing building fabric. The extent of works and the outline costs shown are provisional in nature and will vary somewhat once detailed Condition Surveys, Developers' Proposals etc. become available.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 69
6.4.2 Priority issues
Should the council be successful in securing grant funding for a Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme, it is intended to promote the creation of a small grants scheme for property‐owner repairs that includes general fabric repairs to high standards and restoration of historic detail.
It is suggested that the Keith CARS will target five properties during each year of the five‐year scheme period, i.e. 25 properties. The take up of the recent shop front improvement scheme in Keith confirmed the interest in the area for such projects. A public meeting held during the production of this report suggested that there is considerable interest in such a scheme and that grant funding would stimulate further investment in the historic built environment. As all the funds available under the scheme would be limited, grant applications will be dealt with on a “first come first served“ basis and the amounts of assistance offered will depend entirely on the merits of each application.
A number of issues have been identified during the appraisal that are considered to merit particular attention. These are set out at 5.3 and have been used as the basis for identifying priorities for a small grants scheme. In order of priority these are:
1. Traditional shopfronts 2. Rainwater goods 3. Windows 4. General building repairs
1. Repair and reinstatement of traditional shopfronts
It is intended, where appropriate, that priority will be given to commercial properties, thus ensuring that there is maximum economic gain from the CARS scheme. Shopfronts have an important place in Keith’s development as a market town in the 19th century and add interest and variety to the townscape. Traditional shopfronts can help define the identity and character of an area and can be attractive to shoppers, enhancing trade. Good examples of traditional shopfronts survive in Keith and the retention and repair of existing historic shopfronts, and the reinstatement of traditional detailing where it has been lost will help Keith Mid Street to regain its identity and character.
Shop design was heavily influenced by the size of glass available. Older shopfronts simply have enlarged windows with stone surrounds. Later shopfronts from the Victorian period are more elaborate with classical detailing such as columns and pilasters, often in cast iron. From the mid 19th century the availability of cast‐iron
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 70
offered the opportunity to design shopfronts that were taller, lighter, and more decorative.
Surviving traditional shopfronts should be retained and repaired. Where the original shopfront has been lost, the design of any replacement should have regard to the age and form of the building, its architectural character, appearance and setting. Traditional fixtures and features should be retained where they exist, i.e. metal arms for awnings, original signage, tiling and mosaics, storm doors, original glazing, fanlights etc.
Signage and advertising should not be excessive in size or number. Signs should be traditional in appearance and materials, having regard to the proportions, character and appearance of the building to which they are fixed. Finishes should generally be matt, and signage handpainted. The design of signage, including the size and style of lettering, and colours should be carefully thought out to avoid over‐dominance. The Council may wish to consider promoting a palette of colours which are considered appropriate and traditional for the conservation area. Box signs and box fascias, particularly internally illuminated, will not be permitted.
All new joinery work should normally be agreed by large scale drawn details, showing profiles and dimensions etc. Historic photographs may be consulted to inform the design of new shopfronts and signage.
2. Rainwater goods ‐ repair & replacement
It is important that rainwater from roofs and upper surfaces of buildings is effectively collected and disposed of. Gutters and downpipes must be fully functioning and free from leaks. Basic repairs should include cleaning, painting and renewing jointing putty and gutter bolts. Traditional rainwater goods, often in cast iron, are important to the character of individual buildings and to the wider conservation area. Many are plain though some buildings have decorative profiled hoppers. Modern PVC replacement rainwater goods are inappropriate and detract from the character of the building. Repairs or replacements should normally be undertaken using cast‐iron sections. Traditional cast iron rainwater goods and decorative cast iron details should be retained where they exist and repaired. Profiles should match existing where these are original. Plastic is not likely to be acceptable on principal elevations.
3. Window repair/replacement
Further losses of traditional or original windows will not be permitted. Modern replacement windows of inappropriate design or materials will not be permitted on principal street elevations or where they are visible from public areas.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 71
Windows are fundamental to the character and appearance of buildings and hence the conservation area. Though only a few buildings retain their original windows there is evidence that the traditional Georgian proportioned six‐over‐six timber sashes were among the principal styles found in Keith. From the middle of the 19th century onwards larger panes of plate glass enabled windows to move towards larger panes with less divisions (astragals). Many of the surviving timber sashes in the conservation area have a single pane in each sash. Historic photographs may be consulted to inform any restoration or reinstatement of traditional windows.
All new joinery work should normally be agreed by large scale drawn details, showing profiles and dimensions etc. Alternatively samples of astragals and other mouldings can be prepared and submitted for approval. It is important that these details are agreed before the main work is undertaken.
4. General building repairs
It has been noted that a lack of investment in the building fabric in Keith in recent years has led to defects in the existing traditional buildings in the conservation area. Aside from the specific issues mentioned above, grants may be available to address more general building works and repairs. This might include stone repair; repointing or re‐rendering; repair of slate roofs; ridge, skew and chimneyhead repairs; repainting; and restoration of architectural detail.
The purpose of this appraisal and action plan should always be borne in mind when considering repair work. The main purpose is to enhance the appearance and historic character of Keith in order to stimulate an improvement in economic prosperity.
Applications for planning permission and grant funding will be assessed in terms of heritage merit, financial need, and quality/extent of work.
Target properties
During the course of the work, a number of buildings were identified, which while in sound condition overall, suffered from specific defects or unsympathetic alterations which detracted from the appearance of the conservation area as a whole. It is felt that these properties should be prioritised for financial assistance under the small grants scheme. In addition a small number of buildings have been identified which are felt to merit particular attention due to their prominence in the street scene, current condition or potential for enhancement of the conservation area. It is recommended that applications for the improvement of these buildings are given priority.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 72
The target properties are:
Priority group: • 59‐63 Mid Street (Shopfront improvements) • 183‐187 Mid Street (Shopfront improvements) • Commercial Hotel, Mid Street (Window replacement and signage repair and improvement) • 165‐167 Mid Street (Window replacement and shopfront improvements)
The other target properties are: • 65 Mid Street (Window & door replacement) • 105‐109 Mid Street (Shopfront improvements) • 153‐155 Mid Street (Shopfront improvements) • 189‐193 Mid Street (Shopfront improvements) • 91‐93 Mid Street (Window replacement and signage improvement) • 172‐174 Mid Street (Window repair and signage improvement)
Outline costs Estimated cost of eligible works per £10‐15,000 building:
6.4.3 Public Realm improvements
Although the public realm in the conservation area is mainly modern, public realm improvements are an essential part of the regeneration of the area and in many cases are essential in terms of conserving and restoring architectural and historic integrity. Although there is currently no funding available for public realm works, these recommendations are made as long‐term targets for improvement of the general poor quality public realm in Keith.
The Public Realm Audit at 4.3 identified several negative issues relating to the public realm in Keith Mid Street Conservation Area. These include: poor quality road and pavement surfaces; a lack of consistency and quality in street furniture, the dominance of parking and vehicular traffic; isolation of Mid Street. These issues have informed the following recommendations, in order of priority:
• demolition of the toilet block in Reidhaven Square • improvements to Reidhaven Square • resurface Mid Street with appropriate conservation materials • traffic management • improvements to the public realm at key locations.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 73
1. Demolition of toilet block in Reidhaven Square A first phase of improvements to the public realm at Reidhaven Square has already been carried out, and it is recommended that the execution of further improvement works is a priority for The Moray Council. The first priority is considered to be the demolition of the existing toilet block and its replacement with a smaller ‘superloo’. This would open up views of the square and the A‐listed St Thomas’ Church on Chapel Street. This would enhance views within the conservation area, particularly from the busy A96 helping to attract passing visitors to the town.
2. Improvements to Reidhaven Square These works would include resurfacing, including a shared surface into Mid Street, lighting, cycle racks, seating and other street furniture. This will encourage the use of Reidhaven Square, create a more attractive space for visitors and enhance the gateway and visibility of Mid Street. These measures will also allow Reidhaven Square to be used as the site of markets, building on Keith’s identity and heritage as a market town.
3. Re‐surface Mid Street with appropriate conservation materials. The existing surface materials on Mid Street are 20th century and poor quality. It is considered that the upgrade of these surfaces could make a considerable improvement to the public realm and the pedestrian experience of the street. It is suggested that a shared surface could be an appropriate solution. This is an approach which works successfully in similar situations around Scotland and would put the emphasis back on the pedestrian rather than motor traffic. Successful examples of these surfaces include Commercial Street in Lerwick, and Kirkwall, Orkney. A high quality traditional finish will improve the perception of Mid Street and the settings of the listed and historic buildings.
4. Traffic management Currently Mid Street is dominated by parked cars, although traffic is relatively light and one‐way. It is suggested that if on‐street parking was reduced the pedestrian experience would be much improved, encouraging shoppers and economic regeneration. The Keith Urban Design Framework (2006) notes that supply of parking exceeds demand. The cross lanes already absorb a lot of parking quite discreetly and provide east‐west links between Mid Street and the busy A96.
5. Improvements to the public realm at key locations This study recognises the narrow character of Mid Street and the limited opportunities presented there for street furniture. It is recommended that public realm improvements are focussed on the gateways to Mid Street from Church Road and Reidhaven Square and on the setting of the key historic buildings – the Institute, Post Office, North Church and Greigs Building. Interventions at the entrances to Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 74
Mid Street would assist in highlighting the shopping street, which is currently considered to be rather isolated. By improving the settings of key landmark buildings, public realm improvements can draw attention to the quality of the historic built environment, promoting Keith as an attractive place to work, live and visit.
Outline costs Demolition of toilet block: £211,750 Reidhaven Square improvements: £308,550 Mid Street: shared surface: £804,650 Mid Street: improvements at key locations: £254,100 Total: £1,579,050 For a breakdown of costs see Appendix 3.
Note: It should be noted that the works set out in this document have been identified based on limited external surveys of the existing historic fabric. The extent of works and the outline costs shown are provisional in nature and will vary somewhat once detailed Condition Surveys, Developers' Proposals etc. become available.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 75
7 Monitoring and Review
This document should be reviewed every 5 years from the date of its formal adoption by The Moray Council. It will need to be assessed in the light of the emerging Local Plan and government policy generally. A review should include the following: • a survey of the conservation area including a photographic survey to aid possible enforcement action • an assessment of whether the various recommendations detailed in this document have been acted upon, and how successful this has been • the identification of any new issues which need to be addressed, requiring further actions or enhancements • the production of a short report detailing the findings of the survey and any necessary action • publicity and advertising.
It is possible that this review could be carried out by the local community under the guidance of a heritage consultant or the council. This would enable the local community to become more involved with the process and would raise public consciousness of the issues.
7.1 Performance Indicators
Should the CARS project secure funding, it is recommended that performance indicators should be established whereby the success of the conservation work can be monitored. These indicators could include: • number of ‘priority projects’ completed within the 5 –year period • a decrease in the number of Buildings at Risk in the conservation area • number of ‘small grants’ issued and the projects completed • the number of people a year attending skills training courses. The number of those people a year going onto positive destinations (employment/further education) • the number of people who take part in awareness raising workshops.
The Moray Council should also review the document in light of other audits and surveys in the region, particularly those focussing on economic activity in Keith. This will allow the council to ascertain if the conservation work has had an effect on Keith’s economy including:
• a decrease in the commercial vacancy rates • a decrease in residential vacancy rates • an increase in footfall in the area.
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 76
8 Further Reading
National Policy and Guidance Scottish Planning Policy, 2010 Scottish Historic Environment Policy (SHEP), 2009 Planning Advice Note 71: Conservation Area Management, 2004
Local Policy and Guidance Moray Structure Plan, 2007 Moray Local Plan, 2008 Moray 2020, HIE Moray and The Moray Council, 2005
The Moray Council supplementary planning guidance • Trees and development • Development requirements • Urban design guide
Moray Council design guidance
Technical Advice Historic Scotland INFORM Guides (available free online) Including: • Traditional shopfronts • Repointing rubble stonework • Maintaining sash and case windows • Maintenance of cast iron rainwater goods • The use of lime and cement in traditional buildings • Masonry decay • Repairing Scottish slate roofs
Maintaining your home: A short guide for homeowners, Historic Scotland, 2007
A Frame of Mind: a guide to window repair and replacement, Scottish Civic Trust, 2009
Keith Mid Street Conservation Area Character Appraisal & Action Plan 77
Appendix 1: Listed Buildings
Appendix 2: Proposed Conservation Area Boundary
Appendix 3: Cost Appraisal by McLeod & Aitken
KEITH MID STREET CONSERVATION AREA
COST APPRAISAL
OF
PROPOSED GRANT & NON-GRANT ELIGIBLE WORKS
TO
SELECTED PRIORITY BUILDINGS
AND
PROPOSED PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS
Culbard House, 22 Culbard Street, Elgin. IV30 1JT
t: 01343 546444 f: 01343 540546 E-mail: [email protected]
25th OCTOBER 2010
I.1970
Consultative Draft Keith Conservation Area Part 2: Conservation Area Management Plan
Acknowledgements: Andrew PK Wright The Scottish Civic Trust Horner Maclennan Mcleod & Aitken
January 2016
Keith Conservation Area
Part 2: Conservation Area Management Plan
January 2016 Contents Page no 0 Executive summary 1
1 Introduction 2 1.1 Purpose of the document 1.2 Conservation Area Appraisal 1.3 Context: problems and opportunities
2 Planning policy framework for the conservation area 7 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Primary legislation 2.3 Scottish Planning Policy 2.4 National planning policy guidance 2.5 Scottish Historic Environment Policy (SHEP) December 2011 2.6 Managing Change in the Historic Environment 2.7 Scheduled ancient monuments 2.8 Listed buildings 2.9 Moray Development Plan 2015
3 Managing the historic environment: guiding principles 11 3.1 Conservation principles and philosophy 3.2 Managing change: overriding principles 3.3 Variables by property age and typology 3.4 Property maintenance
4 Local distinctiveness: architectural features and materials 17 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Towers and spires 4.3 Chimneyheads and chimney cans 4.4 Roof ridges, piended roof coverings, ventilators and lanterns 4.5 Gables, skews, skewputts and crowsteps 4.6 Pitched roof finishes: blue and other slate 4.7 Pitched roof finishes: corrugated iron 4.8 Pitched roof finishes: modern materials 4.9 Rooflights 4.10 Dormer windows and box dormers 4.11 Decorative finials 4.12 Low-pitched, or flat roofs 4.13 Bargeboards and eaves boards 4.14 Rainwater disposal 4.15 Soil and vent pipework 4.16 Lime harling and early Portland cement renders 4.17 Ashlar stone walling 4.18 Rubble masonry 4.19 Carved stone: architectural detail and sculpture 4.20 Datestones 4.21 Masonry decay 4.22 Brickwork 4.23 Timber cladding
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 - Conservation Area Management Plan 4.24 Structural movement 4.25 Use of colour 4.26 Architectural ceramics 4.27 Wall openings: maintaining proportion and rhythm 4.28 Traditional windows 4.29 Historic glass 4.30 Decorative glass and its protection 4.31 Traditional doors and fanlights 4.32 Porches and porch canopies 4.33 Traditional shopfronts 4.34 Shop signage and illumination 4.35 Historic signs and interpretation 4.36 Boundary walls 4.37 Decorative architectural metalwork
5 Public realm 51 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Private Gardens and Grounds 5.3 Trees 5.4 Footways and pavements 5.5 Street furniture 5.6 Car parks 5.7 Signage and interpretation 5.8 Night illumination 5.9 Overhead wirescape and public utilities 5.10 Litter in public places
6 Development within the conservation area 57 6.1 Opportunities for regeneration 6.2 Archaeology 6.3 Degraded sites and buildings: Buildings at Risk 6.4 Demolition and rebuilding 6.5 Extensions to buildings 6.6 Satellite dishes, aerials and surface wiring 6.7 Building services 6.8 Security equipment and sounders 6.9 Sundry fixings 6.10 Micro-renewables and solar panels
7 Design standards 63 7.1 Overview 7.2 Design guidance 7.3 Materials for new developments, or extensions to existing structures 7.4 Supplementary information
8 Planning controls 69 8.1 General Permitted Development Order (Scotland) 8.2 Planning measures and enforcement
9 Implementation and review 70 9.1 Preamble 9.2 Communications and conservation awareness 9.3 Skills training in conservation
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 - Conservation Area Management Plan 9.4 Extension of the conservation area 9.5 Review: arrangements within the Moray Council 9.6 Frequency of review
10 Appendix 73 10.1 Glossary of terms
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 - Conservation Area Management Plan 1
0 Executive summary
The Keith Conservation Area Management Plan is the third of a suite of three related documents which are linked to a number of strategic economic initiatives which have been developed for Keith. The first of the documents, the Conservation Area Appraisal and Action Plan, sets out what was considered to be significant about the townscape qualities of the historic market town of Keith, while at the same time identifying problems and risks from which it is was suffering at that time. The Conservation Area Management Plan identifies the need to preserve the best features of what has survived and sets down conservation standards for their repair and enhancement. Measures are also set out for encouraging sensitive development within the conservation area and for ensuring that the lanes fulfil their potential within the context of the overall townscape. Suggestions are made for further enhancement of the public realm.
It is intended that this document should be of value in giving guidance to the following: to property owners and facilities managers over the ongoing care of their properties and how they may be altered; to their agents over applications to be lodged when change is proposed; to contractors and tradesmen in providing guidance on the conservation standards to be met; to developers when considering to invest in the new projects within the boundary of the conservation area; and to planning and conservation officers within the Council in dispensing advice and dealing with planning applications, and specifically applications relating to listed building consent and conservation area consent.
Recommendations are set out for creating greater conservation awareness for those properties falling within the designated conservation area. To be effective these recommendations will require to be embedded within the wider planning system and cannot be considered in isolation if the overriding aim - continuing the regeneration of the Mid Street conservation area and carrying on after the successful Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) – is to be achieved.
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 – Conservation Area Management Plan 2
1 Introduction
1.1 Purpose of the document
1.1.1 This document is the third of a suite of documents focused on the Keith Mid Street Conservation Area and is based on & adapted from the management plans written by Andrew PK Wright for Elgin and Forres. The three documents are listed as follows:
Part 1 Conservation Area Appraisal and Action Plan Part 2 Conservation Area Action Plan Part 3 Conservation Area Management Plan
1.1.2 The document should be read in conjunction with Parts 1&2 of the suite of documents, the Conservation Area Appraisal and Action Plan. Their primary purpose is to provide guidance to owners of historic buildings within the conservation area, their agents and the contractors they may engage on the repair and maintenance of the fabric of traditional buildings. they also provides advice to statutory undertakers and to the Council on the interpretation of the guidance in preserving and enhancing the character and appearance of the conservation area.
1.1.3 Recommendations have been set out in Section 6.3 of the Conservation Area Appraisal and Action Plan for the extension of the area boundaries. It should be noted that the guidance set out in this document relates to the conservation area as it is currently designated. If the boundaries are to be extended the guidance may require to be reviewed.
1.1.4 The guidance set out in Sections 3 and 4 has been prepared to promote conservation standards that might be expected to meet the requirements of Historic Scotland, tailored to the specific needs of Keith since the completion of the successful Mid Street Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS). Wherever possible, guidance is cross-referenced to Historic Scotland’s own advisory publications. These publications are largely intended for a lay audience and are available free of charge.
1.2 Conservation Area Appraisal
1.2.1 In addition to the feedback provided by members of the working group, public consultation has taken the form of an open public meeting held at the Keith Institute on 5th October 2010, at which the consultants set out the principal findings and recommendations set out in the reports.
1.2.2 The conclusions reached in the Conservation Character Appraisal and Action Plan were based upon an audit of each property within the conservation area. The document reinforced the view that the conservation area is worthy of its conservation area designation. Keith has had a fascinating history, if somewhat turbulent at times, of which a substantial amount survives from the major periods of development from the late eighteenth century until the present. The centre of Keith has elements of a historic environment with a strong sense of identity and distinctiveness, and these qualities find expression in the high quality of the historic buildings of the town and in the open space of Reidhaven square.
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 – Conservation Area Management Plan 3
Keith Mid Street looking south
1.2.3 While, in part, this is represented by the number of buildings within the conservation areas which are listed, the survey team identified that, with the passage of time (the lists were last reviewed in the early 1980s), late Victorian and Edwardian buildings may not as yet be adequately represented on the statutory list. Accordingly recommendations have been made for the list survey to be brought up to date.
1.2.4 Keith’s historic townscape follows a recognisable pattern of building on extended burgage plots, and this has very largely survived to this day. The survival of the planned grid‐iron layout is a strong and significant feature of the conservation area. The town is laid out with three long parallel streets (Mid, Land and Moss Streets) running north‐south with cross lanes providing east‐west connections. Reidhaven Square is located to the south of Mid Street with Chapel Street extending from the western side of the square towards the A listed church. In the structure of the town Mid Street is rather isolated and invisible as most of the through traffic is taken by Moss Street (A96). Reidhaven Square is however generous, and a significant feature on the A96 route through the town. Keith has a tradition as a town of traders, farmers and markets. A good number of traditional shopfronts survive on Mid Street, mostly belonging to the later 19th century. Many of these feature cast iron, with classical details such as columns and pilasters and large panes of glass. Many other shopfronts retain some traditional details such as metal arms for sun blinds and awnings, mosaic lobby floors and tiled panels, and even original doors.
1.2.5 With the arrival of the railways in the mid-nineteenth century the town flourished and expanded with manufacturing activity. In the late nineteenth century a new confidence arrived which saw the creation of many distinguished street frontages and villas springing up in other areas of the town.
1.2.6 Although the main building stone in the conservation area is the locally quarried schist, it has suffered from the use of inferior sandstone much like other comparable burghs on the fringes of the Moray Firth. A noticeable example of this poor stone is at 96-98 Mid Street, a substantial ashlar-fronted house which before repair works through the CARS, suffered from severe stone decay and delamination having also been built with face-bedded stones. A particular problem throughout the town is that a significant number of chimneyheads are in a poor state of repair.
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 – Conservation Area Management Plan 4
1.2.7 One of the conclusions from the audit work was that, although there has been a considerable degree of change to the historic fabric of the buildings of the conservation area, levels of authenticity are comparable to many other conservation areas. In the past, some changes have been detrimental to the character and appearance of the conservation area, while standards for carrying out repairs to decaying fabric were often found to be poor, or had accelerated the levels of damage. In a small number of cases fabric was considered to be in a dangerous condition, placing the building at risk. However since the CARS, standards of repair have generally improved and both building owners and contractors now seem to have more of an interest in carrying out repairs in the correct manner. This change in attitude could be partially attributed to the comprehensive training and education program for contractors, craftspeople, conservation professionals and homeowners run jointly by the Keith and Elgin CARS.
1.2.8 The Conservation Area Management Plan addresses these and other issues in providing guidance on managing change throughout the conservation area, with the overriding objective of preserving and enhancing its character and appearance.
1.3 Context: problems and opportunities
1.3.1 The following problem areas have been identified from the Conservation Area Appraisal and Action Plan. While they are matters that have an impact on the character and appearance of the conservation area, they should be seen also as representing opportunities for enhancement, and for bringing life back into the centre of the town. Good management of the conservation area has the potential to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of those who live and work in the town, and for those who may visit it for the many facilities it offers, or as tourists.
1.3.2 The Conservation Area Management Plan should not be seen in isolation of other initiatives, such as the CARS, that have been embarked upon and through which elements of the programme have already been delivered. The critical factor is that all the stakeholders involved have recognised that Keith’s historic environment is a valuable asset, and it should not be regarded as a burden to be overcome. Much has already been achieved to this end through training and education programmes run locally through the CARS in 2012-2016.
1.3.3 Keith is by no means alone in suffering from a number of Buildings at Risk, listed in 4.2 of the Conservation Area Appraisal and Action Plan documents. However as of the completion of the CARS, all four entries on the Buildings at Risk Register within the conservation area had been moved from ‘at risk’ to ‘restoration in progress’ and were no longer considered at risk. Nonetheless this situation should be monitored and any further buildings which fall into disuse or disrepair should be considered for inclusion on the register. Currently, there are no buildings which are so badly dilapidated that they could not be repaired and brought back into use although there are some which could warrant inclusion on the Buildings at Risk register.
The ‘Greigs’ site at the entrance to Mid Street had lain empty for around fifteen years before significant investment through the CARS
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 – Conservation Area Management Plan 5
1.3.4 The lanes of Keith have survived well and are undoubtedly one of the town’s major assets. Many of them provide attractive and safe places in which to live and habitation levels are generally high. Some redevelopment has taken place within the feus in recent years but the quality of design and the use of materials have not always been of the highest standards.
1.3.5 Unlike neighbouring Elgin, Keith has suffered much less from the pressures of commercial developments undertaken in the 1960s and 1970s, and so the damage to the conservation area has been largely confined to the insertion of car parks and a few modern buildings. In some cases historic buildings of some distinction and real townscape value were demolished to make way for them, adding to the pain of their loss. There are few examples of historic buildings being demolished but the sites not being redeveloped.
1.3.6 Studies of activity and movement in the conservation area suggest that the heart of the town centre can be quiet at night. This is despite the fact that this area is where the fast food outlets and public houses occur. The lack of visual interest at night is not helped by a corresponding lack of creative illumination for shopfronts and buildings, and of the public realm.
1.3.7 There are currently no gap sites within the conservation area. There are a few sites in the lanes in which feus have been cleared but no work has taken place, or which have been neglected. This can give the impression of gap sites in the lanes. There are also feus in the lanes that have been cleared for car parking. The boundaries of the conservation area appear quite vague due to having been cut back in the past. It would be of benefit to reinstate the boundary to include Moss and Land Streets to give the historic environment there a degree of protection and to try and preserve what character the lanes have left.
Mid Street pictured in the evening of a summer’s night shows the principal street of the town devoid of activity and interest
1.3.8 As noted above, while there have been localised problems arising from the loss of historic fabric and architectural detail throughout the conservation area arising from decay, there are still relatively high levels of authenticity to be encountered and this merits the conservation and enhancement of surviving traditional materials and features. However, the rate of change has been significantly less than in many conservation areas.
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 – Conservation Area Management Plan 6
1.3.9 The quality of the surfaces throughout the public realm is generally poor. Attempts have been made to improve this but the results are piecemeal. Materials are usually not of high quality. Some of the principal lanes leading to the public car parks in the backlands have been resurfaced but the finishes look tired and unappealing. Some of these surfaces remain an unattractive tarmacadam. In the majority of the lanes, the road surfaces are poor and appear to have received little maintenance. There has been considerable degradation and loss of historic finishes. A cohesive, high quality public realm improvement scheme for the conservation area is recommended.
1.3.10 Recent public realm improvements to Reidhaven Square have introduced some attractive features and this gives a good starting point for further improvements. However car parking on Mid Street seems to dominate the narrow road and there is a mixture of different styles of signage, ranging from largely out of date ‘finger’ signage to decaying and outdated interpretation panels. On the positive side, trees have been planted in Reidhaven Square, mirroring the tree-lined approach to the RC church, circa 1900. Street lighting is provided by traditional round lanterns which are in keeping with the historic nature of the conservation area.
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 – Conservation Area Management Plan 7
2 Planning policy framework for the conservation area
2.1 Introduction
2.1.1 The guidance set down in this section of the Conservation Area Management Plan has taken into account the following statutory instruments and sources of guidance.
2.2 Primary legislation
2.2.1 The principal legislation relating to the conservation area and the listed buildings falling within it is the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.
2.2.2 Legislation relating to Scheduled Ancient Monuments within the boundaries of the conservation area is the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
2.2.3 Where references are made in Section 8 of this document to permitted development the relevant legislation is the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992.
2.2.4 The Historic Environment (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2011 ties up some anomalies and procedural matters in the above legislation.
2.3 Scottish Planning Policy
2.3.1 Scottish Planning Policy (2014) sets out the Scottish Government’s policy on nationally important land use planning matters.
2.3.2 Clauses 110-124 of the document set out policy in relation to the historic environment with sections on Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas, Scheduled Monuments, Archaeology and non-designated assets.
2.4 National planning policy guidance
2.4.1 Relevant documents are listed in the following table:
PAN 42 Archaeology
PAN 52 Planning in Small Towns
PAN 59 Improving Town Centres
PAN 65 Planning and Open Space
PAN 68 Design Statements
PAN 71 Conservation Area Management
Policy Paper Designing Places
Circular Planning Enforcement 10/2009
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 – Conservation Area Management Plan 8
2.5 Scottish Historic Environment Policy (SHEP) December 2011
2.5.1 The latest version of the consolidated SHEP published by Historic Scotland sets out policy in respect of the historic environment, in which it supersedes the Memorandum of Guidance. It sets out Scottish Government policy on Scheduled Monument Consent, Listed Building Consent and Conservation Area Consent.
2.5.2 Policy in relation to setting the criteria for determining whether a building is of ‘Special Architectural or Historic Interest’ for the purpose of listing is set out in Annex 2 of the SHEP.
2.5.3 Powers to local authorities regarding varying the boundaries of conservation areas already designated are set out in Clause 2.41.
2.6 Managing Change in the Historic Environment
2.6.1 Historic Scotland published in 2010 a suite of leaflets giving non-statutory guidance on individual topics under the title of 'Managing Change in the Historic Environment'. These leaflets replaced the previous guidance published in 1998 as Memorandum of Guidance on listed buildings and conservation areas. Guidance set out in these leaflets corresponds with the policy set out in the SHEP referred to above. Where appropriate, references to the leaflets are given throughout this document.
2.7 Scheduled Ancient Monuments
2.7.1 There are no Scheduled Ancient Monuments within the conservation area.
2.8 Listed buildings
The Roman Catholic Church of St Thomas and Presbytery is currently the only category A-listed building in the conservation area
2.8.1 There are presently 22 listed buildings within the conservation area. Of these only 1 is listed Category A; 14 are Category B and 7 are Category C. It is the view of the survey team that some of the buildings in the C category should migrate to B, and that there are strong grounds for adding to
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 – Conservation Area Management Plan 9
the lists. All listed buildings within the highest two categories, A and B, are identified in the Conservation Area Appraisal and Action Plan and are shown in section 4.2 of these documents with a selection of other buildings considered to be of merit.
2.8.2 Although this may appear to represent a healthy number which reflects the status of the conservation area, it is considered that there are buildings of sufficient merit falling within the boundaries of the conservation area which should be entered on the lists. In particular it was observed that residential buildings of the Victorian era were not adequately represented, with some obvious omissions. It has also been identified that, for similar reasons, some of the buildings could be in the wrong categories, and in this respect the Buildings of Scotland volume ‘Aberdeenshire: North and Moray’ published in 2015, also throws fresh light on the history of the town’s buildings. Thus it is recommended that discussions should be opened up with Historic Scotland over addressing these issues.
2.9 Moray Development Plan 2015
2.9.1 The document sets out strategic policy which applies to the whole of the Moray Council area. It focuses on established settlements as development areas, defining Elgin, Forres, Buckie, Keith and Lossiemouth as the main centres.
2.9.2 The ‘Built Environment’ section of the of the ‘Planning Policies’ element sets out an obligation:
To preserve and enhance Moray’s Conservation Areas.
2.9.3 The strategy set out for the built environment reinforces the objectives of these documents and is repeated here:
Moray benefits from a number of important sites for cultural heritage and the townscapes and buildings have distinctive characters and provide variety across the area. Collectively this heritage contributes greatly to the character of Moray and provides a sense of place and identity.
The Scottish Government’s policy on the historic environment and guidance is set out in the Scottish Historic Environmental Policy (SHEP) and the Managing Change in the Historic Environment guidance note series. This guidance advocates the protection, conservation and enhancement of all elements of the historic environment. Moray Local Development Plan POL 2.9.4 The Built Environment policy lists the following aims relating to the built environment and commits the Council to:
protect listed buildings from inappropriate development proposals and safeguard them for future generations
preserve and enhance Moray’s Conservation Areas
encourage the preservation of sites of archaeological and historic interest
protect Gardens, Designed Landscapes and Battlefields from development that would damage their special character
2.9.5 Policies affecting archaeology, listed buildings, conservation areas and unlisted buildings within conservation areas are covered under the Planning Policies section of the Moray Development Plan 2015, under the subheading Built Environment. It should be noted that the policies have been derived substantially latest version of the SHEP published in December 2011.
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 – Conservation Area Management Plan 10
2.9.6 Policy BE1 relates to scheduled ancient monuments (SAMs) and archaeology. Policy is defined in respect of national and local designations. Justification for the policy is given for the protection of archaeological sites and SAMs against development which may affect them, and recognition is given of the educational and tourism value of archaeological resources. Further guidance in relation to the archaeological resource and its potential which has been identified within the conservation area is given in 6.2 of this document.
2.9.7 Policy BE2 relates to listed buildings. The aim of the policy is to protect listed buildings from inappropriate development proposals. It is recognised that listed buildings are an important part of Moray’s heritage and should be safeguarded for future generations. Specific advice is given on the demolition of listed buildings which can only be considered as a last resort, and conditions under which demolition might be considered appropriate are set out in the policy.
2.9.8 Policy BE3, of particular relevance to this document covering conservation areas, and stipulates that all development within a conservation area should preserve or enhance the established traditional character and appearance of the area. There is a presumption against the demolition of unlisted buildings falling within the boundaries of a conservation area if they are considered to make a positive contribution to it, and consent to demolish can only be considered if the proposals for the redevelopment of the site are deemed to be acceptable. Boundary walls, fences and ground surfaces are defined as having the potential to contribute to the amenity of the conservation area, and to the setting of an individual building. Policy BE3 also sets out specific policies in respect of shopfronts and security devices, satellite dishes & other fittings, advertisements and fascias.
Detailed guidance on these matters is included in Sections 3 and 4 of this document, and takes into account the advice set out in Policy BE3 and latest guidance which has been incorporated within Historic Scotland’s ‘Managing Change in the Historic Environment’ leaflets. A note on Article 4 Directions is included in 8.1 of this document.
2.9.9 Policy E4 covers Tree Preservation Orders and controls relating to the preservation of trees having amenity value.
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 – Conservation Area Management Plan 11
3 Managing the historic environment: guiding principles
3.1 Conservation principles and philosophy
3.1.1 Conservation philosophy recognises that the preservation of historic fabric within a conservation area will be a paramount consideration, but it should not normally be considered in isolation of the potential for accommodating change or new uses which are compatible with preserving what is important about the site. The adaptation of a historic building, if carried out with sensitivity, may secure its future in the long term and allow it to contribute to the wider aims of regenerating the town centre.
3.1.2 The focus in this section of the Conservation Area Management Plan is on conservation actions where the fabric is of historic or architectural importance, and where it makes a contribution to the character and appearance of the conservation area - or, in those cases where it has been disguised, it has greater potential to do so. It should be noted that the guidance in this section is not provided exclusively for listed buildings, and covers all properties constructed prior to 1948 when the Town and Country Planning Acts were first introduced.
3.1.3 The principles of conservation philosophy and associated definitions listed in British Standard 7913:13 Guide to the Conservation of Historic Buildings have been widely adopted throughout the UK. In recent years conservation philosophy has been shaped increasingly by the principles embodied in international conservation charters and, in particular, the Australian ICOMOS Burra Charter. In Scotland these principles are presently enshrined within the Historic Environment Scotland document Our Place in Time, the Historic Environment Strategy for Scotland adopted in 2014.
3.1.4 It is recognised that there should be a presumption always in favour of retaining historic fabric. Historic buildings and the spaces surrounding them tell us about a place, its history, and the people involved in shaping them. Future generations should have the opportunity to decide for themselves on the values they may place on preserving authenticity and historical accuracy. With much historic fabric having been lost already through insensitive alterations, or destroyed, this has a particular significance for Keith.
3.1.5 As a general rule, repair and alterations should be the minimum necessary to preserve historic fabric. Quoting the maxim of the Burra Charter, a cautious approach should be adopted to ‘do as much as necessary to care for the place, but otherwise change it as little as possible’. Where intervention of any kind is required, wherever possible the work should be reversible in conservation terms.
3.1.6 Commensurate with the above, for the more complex sites and buildings where a high level of intervention might be anticipated (for instance, in seeking new, compatible uses for a redundant building), it would be essential to ensure that changes are guided by a full understanding of the history of the site, the structures upon it and what makes them important. For these sites there would be merit in preparing a conservation plan setting out in an ordered way what is significant about it, and in preparing conservation policies with the specific purpose of guiding the solutions for the repair and adaptation of the site. This will help to ensure that the site’s significance, or the character and appearance of the conservation area, is preserved or enhanced. For the more sensitive sites the preparation of a heritage impact assessment will be encouraged. For less complex sites, there would still be merit in carrying out such historical research as is necessary to understand how the site and any structures upon it may have changed over time, for which a conservation statement (an abbreviated conservation plan) could be better suited for the presentation of the information. It will be a requirement of any application for either conservation area consent for the demolition of a property within a conservation area, or listed building consent, that an understanding of the site and its importance lies at the core of any justification statement which may be prepared.
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 – Conservation Area Management Plan 12
3.1.7 Where intervention is necessary to preserve the site or building, either by way of internal alterations, partial demolition, or by the addition of new work, it is important it should be carried out in a contemporary manner that does not distort history. The solution should not challenge the authenticity and integrity of the original building, or its neighbours within the wider setting of streets and open spaces. Pastiche of former architectural styles is not encouraged as this is likely to devalue levels of authenticity within the conservation area, which is greater than most other comparable historic burghs.
3.1.8 In those rare cases where the reconstruction of lost features may be appropriate - for instance, in restoring the architectural integrity of a façade which may have been altered - the work should be based on known pictorial or documentary archival sources. It should never be conjectural.
Advanced decay to sandstone ashlar masonry, exacerbated by face-bedded stones and their repointing in a dense cement mortar.
3.1.9 Wherever possible repairs to historic fabric should be carried out in like materials. If the source is no longer available, extreme care should be exercised over the suitability of replacement material in terms of its long term performance and effect on any surviving traditional materials. Similarly, it would be preferable to replicate obsolete patterns of architectural features rather than discard them altogether when carrying out repairs to material that may have failed through age and decay.
3.1.10 Repairs and alterations to historic buildings should observe recommendations for good conservation practice set down in advisory publications prepared by Historic Environment Scotland, for instance, through Technical Advice Notes and Guidance to Practitioners. Throughout this document reference is made to relevant leaflets from the INFORM series published by Historic Scotland, providing advice to property owners on the repair of traditional buildings.
3.1.11 Important as national standards undoubtedly are, it is of particular importance that local variations and traditions are understood prior to embarking upon repairs or alterations. Sound conservation practice should be based always on knowledge and understanding of the particular site or building and of the specialist skills needed to conserve them.
3.1.12 The fabric of historic buildings can be damaged too readily by applying modern construction practice or materials where an alternative and more sympathetic approach may be called for, and which may be more effective for the care of the building in the longer term. Particular damage can arise from the ill-considered application of current building standards regulations to historic buildings within conservation areas. In this respect Historic Scotland’s Guide for Practitioners Conversion of Traditional Buildings: Application of the Scottish Building Standards (2007) sets down
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 – Conservation Area Management Plan 13
valuable principles which should be followed by the applicant’s agent, and by the Council also when processing applications.
3.1.13 Taking into account the discoveries made from archaeological excavation in comparable historic burghs, the boundaries of the conservation area coincide with the likelihood of archaeological deposits corresponding to the growth of the town of Keith. This resource might be anticipated on the sites of the foreland properties lining both sides of the Mid Street, and throughout the length of each of the lanes. Requirements for addressing this archaeological resource when considering development of any kind are given in 6.2.
3.1.14 Principles of conservation philosophy for the preservation of the fabric of scheduled ancient monuments (SAMs) vary from those set down for historic buildings which are already in use, or for which new uses may be sought. Guidance is set out in Historic Scotland’s The Conservation of Architectural Ancient Monuments in Scotland (2001).
3.2 Managing change: overriding principles
3.2.1 Notes in this section relate primarily, but not exclusively, to properties erected before 1948. Guidance in relation to changes having a potential impact on the character and appearance of the conservation area which will apply to all buildings and proposed development appears in Sections 6 and 7.
3.2.2 Change of any kind within the conservation area should be guided by the overriding principles of preserving its character and appearance and enhancing it by following recognised standards of conservation practice, or through the encouragement of high standards of design and construction in any new development which may occupy gap sites in the townscape, or the site of a building for which conservation area consent has been granted for demolition.
3.3 Variables by property age and typology
3.3.1 In the absence of being able to define the age of a property through pictorial, cartographic, or other archival evidence, construction and architectural detail can often provide firm clues and evidence of phasing in more complex structures that may have been added to, or altered, during the course of their history. It should be borne in mind always that properties may be disguising earlier structures and, occasionally, structures may harbour more than a single period of physical change in their evolution.
3.3.2 The conservation area displays a rich resource of buildings that can be readily identified from the mid eighteenth century right through to the present time. Phases of development from each stage of the town’s development give the buildings their own special characteristics, contributing to a townscape of great variety and interest. It would be misleading, however, to state that buildings of the interwar years of the last century are of a lesser importance than those of earlier period as buildings of all ages have the potential to contribute to the variety of the townscape and to the richness of detail. The contribution of later buildings can, occasionally, be overlooked, especially when they may not be listed.
3.3.3 Earlier buildings may be distinguished by roofs with a steeper pitch than would be the norm, and a significant number of the more domestic properties had retained their thatched finishes into the twentieth century judging by the evidence of historic photographs. Buildings from the late seventeenth century to the mid-eighteenth century, and possibly later even, were usually harled and retained their distinctive crowstepped gables with skewputts. It is not uncommon to find the existence of crowstepped gables to the rear of Mid Street properties which may have been altered or refaced which may suggest the existence of an earlier property on the site. Gables from this era would be marked by chimneyheads with heavy splayed sandstone copes and plain roll mouldings. Rooms within the attic space of these buildings occasionally have ‘cat-slide’ dormers of a simple pattern. Gable widths and floor spans would be governed by standard joist spans and sizes.
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 – Conservation Area Management Plan 14
3.3.4 Early to mid-eighteenth century structures would preserve a similar gable width and roof pitch, but roofs would be finished in local slate, or in some cases West Highland blue slate. These slates would be blue-black in colour and mainly of small face size laid in diminishing courses. Gradually, as the century progressed, roof pitches would reduce, and gable wallheads would have plain skews which in a higher pitched roof would be prone to slipping off the wallheads. By the late eighteenth century window glass would consist of slightly larger panes of thinner glass, with astragals that are less heavy.
3.3.5 More sophisticated buildings of the late eighteenth century might introduce a ‘double pile’ plan of two rooms in depth, resulting in broader gables and roofs with shallower pitches. By the early nineteenth century the roof pitches to buildings designed in classical styles would often be much lower than previously and flat roofs over the centre of the roof span became increasingly common. By this time most street frontages were of ashlar masonry, and harled surfaces were no longer common. Towards the end of the nineteenth century larger floor spans for hotels, shops and tenements on the upper floors became possible with the introduction of rolled steel joists spanning wider openings, while architectural styles had moved away from the classical forms and detailing common up to around 1870, offering greater variety in the streetscape. By this time roofs were rarely other than blue slate, laid with a standard face size and regularly coursed, changes which resulted from the mechanisation of the industry and from the ease of transportation of building materials due to the railways. Building stone came from a wide variety of sources, with the local schist stone quarried and used extensively throughout Keith. Sandstone for architectural dressings had to be sourced from further afield, coming from the many quarries in operation around Elgin and Hopeman, or from Nairn further west. Despite some of the best sandstone in Scotland being quarried in Moray, unfortunately not all of the stones have proved to be durable.
A surviving range of Victorian cast iron shopfronts at 115-171 Mid Street.
3.3.6 The greatest physical changes to the town’s main street came from two principal sources. Firstly, there came revolution in retailing - forever at the heart of the prosperity of the Keith merchants in the past, much as now - throughout the course of the nineteenth century. In the second half of the nineteenth century more sophisticated shop windows were appearing, taking advantage of the new techniques for manufacturing and transporting large panes of plate glass. It was not uncommon to see large shop windows being introduced into existing masonry walls at ground floor and, increasingly, new shopfronts were inserted in cast iron. More often than not properties would be taken down and rebuilt with an increased number of storeys at the commercial heart of the town, changing the appearance of the principal streets. These buildings with their generous shop windows mark the third age of the prosperity of the town.
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 – Conservation Area Management Plan 15
3.3.7 The second source of change can also be seen as a manifestation of the confidence of this third age, and resulted from the diversification in strands of religious worship in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Fuelled by philanthropy, two landmark buildings were erected: the first was the category ‘A’ listed St Thomas RC Church, followed by the Keith Institute. The decades to either side of the turn of the twentieth century witnessed the growth of the residential suburbs and the erection of several fine villas outside of the conservation area in fashionable late Victorian and Edwardian styles.
3.3.8 The loss of original fabric and features of buildings has accelerated over the last decades, and in this Keith is by no means unusual. Cast iron rainwater goods in a wide variety of patterns have survived in large numbers but increasingly they are being replaced in cheaper, lightweight materials which no longer require skilled labour to fix. Decaying masonry has been patched up in dense cement mortar or render, thereby accelerating the rates of decay. New shopfronts were inserted in the second half of the twentieth century, destroying the evidence of earlier shopfronts, blind boxes and fascias. Traditional windows and doors which may have survived for 150 years and more are being replaced with modern alternatives. There has been a consequential erosion of the skills base for the repair of traditional buildings in Keith, and across Moray as a whole. However, the lack of any maintenance at all that many buildings in the conservation area have endured over the decades has, in a strange way, helped to save some of these features as they have simply been left unmaintained rather than being removed and replaced with modern materials. With the current condition of these elements leaving there being little option but to replace or repair as things stand, the CARS appears to have come along at the right time, having succeeded in educating a large percentage of building owners in the merits and economy of repairing these surviving features rather than being replaced in inappropriate materials. With continued investment and education programs into the conservation area, there is no reason that this attitude cannot be encouraged further.
3.3.9 In order to compensate for some of these perceived shortcomings there would be considerable merit in establishing a local centre for conservation advice. Information was made available during the CARS both through the CARS officer and freely distributed Historic Scotland Inform guides, and continues to be though the conservation officer at the Moray Council, but it is likely that a locally accessed resource would prove to be more of an asset. The following guidance notes assume that these leaflets can be made available locally to help with a programme of raising conservation awareness in the community and among local tradesmen as was the remit when training and education projects were carried out previously.
3.4 Property maintenance
3.4.1 The Conservation Area Appraisal and Action Plan identified recurring problems with keeping the fabric of structures in good repair from planned, regular maintenance. Good conservation practice cannot be seen in isolation of undertaking targeted maintenance, whether replacing slipped or missing slates, repairing damaged leadwork in hidden gutters, or in removing debris and vegetation growth from high level gutters and repairing cracked downpipes.
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 – Conservation Area Management Plan 16
A key listed building on the High Street displays a lack of maintenance with a number of features failing: gutters need to be cleaned, roof slating needs to be overhauled, there are open masonry joints with missing stonework, and joinery needs decoration and repairs
3.4.2 Failure to carry out regular maintenance can place a property at considerable risk. It can place a considerable financial burden upon property owners if unattended problems lead to damage of the internal fabric from wet rot, or more devastatingly, from dry rot.
3.4.3 Given the difficulties of physical access, there are some good examples to be seen where high level maintenance has been tackled, and these are to be strongly applauded. Through education programs funded by the CARS, building owners are now more aware of these issues and it is becoming more common to see high level defects being dealt with in the conservation area rather than being simply ignored. It will be important to build upon this current trend by continuing to encourage good repair and maintenance practices throughout the town.
Keith Conservation Area Part 2 – Conservation Area Management Plan 17
4 Local distinctiveness: architectural features and materials
4.1 Introduction
4.1.1 The following guidance is based on the findings of comprehensive audits of the townscape and buildings undertaken for the conservation area character appraisal. The audit took into account: the significance of surviving elements of historic fabric; levels of authenticity; where change had occurred; negative features; and any recurring problems.
4.1.2 Clauses setting out guidance on repair and enhancement in the clauses that follow are summarised at the beginning of each category in lighter bold type. Outline guidance is followed by narrative on the extent to which the subject makes a contribution to the character and appearance of the conservation area. At the end of each section reference is made to INFORM and Short Guides where they exist on the particular subject or category. These informative leaflets are available free of charge and are published by Historic Scotland for property owners, and for those having a responsibility for the upkeep of historic buildings. Where relevant, guidance set out in relevant leaflets in the 'Managing Change' series is also referred to.
4.2 Towers and spires
Vertical features within the Conservation Area have been strategically placed on the skyline and are important landmarks, often visible from a considerable distance; by their very nature because of height and exposure, towers and spires will be demanding elements to maintain and keep free of defect. Regular maintenance inspections will be encouraged, followed up by programmes of repair to reduce risk in the longer term.
4.2.1 Towers and spires are among the most important elements in the historic townscape and make a strong contribution to the character and appearance of the conservation area. They appear in numerous historic images. Vital to the skyline of the conservation area are a few landmark structures – from north to south these are the spire to the North Church of Scotland; the tower to the Keith Institute and the copper dome of St Thomas RC Church with its cross-shaped finial.
18
4.3 Chimneyheads and chimney cans
The loss of a single chimneyhead can be damaging to the appearance of the building, and to the wider conservation area. There will be a presumption against the demolition of chimneyheads. Where these elements of the roofscape require to be taken down, but only if their condition merits it due to decay or structural instability, sound material should be retained and incorporated in any rebuilding. The appearance of the original feature should be matched in all respects. Encouragement will be given to restoring missing chimneyheads.
Where chimneyheads have been rendered in modern cement renders, consideration should be given to restoring earlier known historic finishes. Where they exist thackstanes should always be retained. Cement pointing should be raked out and repointing carried out in hydraulic lime to an appropriate specification. Where a chimneyhead is found to be beyond repair, it should be replaced as an accurate replica in both style and colour; where redundant, chimneycans cans should be fitted with unobtrusive ventilating caps, or raised slate pieces where no cans exist.
Traditional patterned chimney cans should always be preserved where sound and replaced with matching cans where damaged, or lost. Whenever the opportunity presents itself, consideration should be given to removing chimneycans to buildings of the period from the late seventeenth to the mid-eighteenth century on grounds of authenticity.
Encouragement will be given to taking down and rebuilding chimneyheads in stone where the original copes have been replaced in artificial stone.
4.3.1 Chimneyheads and chimney cans are important elements of the historic townscape, if often unseen or noticed from ground level. Finishing off gables, they punctuate the skyline and provide a sense of rhythm that reflects the feus of the individual properties set out on the burgage plots of the old lanes. They add to variety within the townscape, especially where taller structures rise above properties of a more domestic scale.
4.3.2 These qualities are particularly noticeable in the lanes running at right angles to Mid Street. Historically it was the norm for properties on the principal street of a burgh having a grid-iron layout to be taller and of a different scale to those on backlands. Often there would be a descending scale as less important properties were located at the outer edges of the rig, or burgage plot.
19
4.3.3 The loss of chimneyheads, particularly at gables which have been slated over, or left as a stump, can result in a disturbing loss of symmetry affecting the rhythm of the street or skyline. A gable which is not capped by a chimneyhead will tend to look unfinished. Chimneyheads are among the most vulnerable parts of any historic building due to exposure to the combined effects of a harsh climate and flue gases. Throughout Keith these elements are particularly at risk because of the poor weathering qualities of some of the building stones or of risk where this has been used. Many decayed chimneyheads have been coated with modern dense cement rendered finishes, or will have been heavily over-pointed in cement mortar which serves only to accelerate the rate of decay. A significant number of chimneyheads were observed to have open joints. At the time of the audit work there was evidence of some chimneyheads which were in a dangerous state and this presents a risk in the short and longer term, and their condition suggests that in a large number of cases the withes (bridging pieces) will have collapsed. A significant number of chimneys on buildings in the town centre of the early nineteenth century, and later, were observed to be leaning or bulging suggesting that rebuilding would be necessary.
4.3.4 The earliest chimneyheads are dated to the late eighteenth century, when traditionally they would have featured projecting moulded stone copes. By the early nineteenth century some chimneyheads still had ‘thackstanes’, a projecting stone from the base of the chimneyhead to protect a thatched roof finish, even though by this time slated roofs would have been the norm.
4.3.5 Chimneyheads in the nineteenth century would be built of ashlar stone or rubble, depending on the status of the building, in preference to being harled. In the period from the end of the nineteenth century through to the twentieth century the design of chimneyheads became bolder in profile, often with distinctive heavy moulded copes of which Keith has a number of very good examples. Brick chimneyheads can often be seen on Mid Street, being built up from the original stone chimneyheads to accommodate newer, larger neighbouring buildings. The majority of these later brick additions are in poor condition.
4.3.6 Keith has chimney cans of varying patterns, heights and styles from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They make a positive contribution to the townscape. Most are plain round beaded cans or hexagonal, mainly of yellow clay although red clay examples are to be seen frequently in the roofscape, mainly for late nineteenth or early twentieth century buildings.
4.3.7 Occasionally where failed chimneyheads have been rebuilt the original copes have been dispensed with and have been renewed in precast concrete. Sometimes an entire chimneyhead will have been rebuilt in modern concrete brick. Rarely do they ever appear satisfactory and consideration should always be given to rebuilding them in stone.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Domestic chimneys and flues MANAGING CHANGE: Roofs
20
4.4 Roof ridging, piended roof coverings, ventilators and lanterns
Stone ridging should always be preserved. Ridging should be fully bedded in mortar and there should not be open joints between ridge pieces. Where sections have failed matching salvaged sections should be used, or damaged sections replaced with new stone of durable quality.
Lead ridging should be preserved wherever possible, and repaired; where beyond repair it should be replaced in lead and not zinc. Where lead has been replaced with modern alternatives encouragement will be given to reinstating the original finish.
Other traditional finishes, such as yellow clay ridge tiles, red clay cresting tiles or zinc sheet, should always be preserved with any defective lengths renewed in matching material. Ridge and hip tiles should be kept fully bedded and pointed up. Encouragement will be given to replacing modern zinc, or unsightly modern blue clay or concrete ridge and hip tiles, which are not original to the roof, with lead or stone ridging depending on the evidence of former finishes.
Glazed lanterns or cupolas and traditional metal roof ventilators where they have survived always add interest to the roofscape and should be preserved or restored.
Modern ventilated ridges more suited to tile or slated roof proprietary systems appear incongruous in the conservation area and will not be permitted.
A varied roofscape with modern concrete tile, sheet metal and traditional slate roofs. Note red clay cresting to the left and centre.
4.4.1 Stone ridges have survived on Keith roofs in reasonably significant numbers. In the late nineteenth century several appear with raised profiles. They are always an attractive feature of the roof and every effort should be made to preserve them.
4.4.2 From the early nineteenth century there was also a tradition of finishing slate roofs with lead ridging dressed over a timber roll, which is found commonly on piended roofs to dormers. In the highest quality work slated piends may be mitred against a flush lead roll.
4.4.3 Roofs of lesser buildings were occasionally given yellow clay ridge tiles, but only from the mid- nineteenth century onwards. Zinc ridges with galvanised iron over-straps appeared from the late nineteenth century, and lead that had perished was often substituted with zinc when repairs were carried out in the twentieth century.
4.4.4 Some examples of red clay cresting tiles with a distinctive profile are to be found throughout the conservation area and are known to date from the late nineteenth century.
21
4.4.5 Blue or black clay, or concrete, ridge tiles appear occasionally on roofs. They are not a traditional element, being likely to date from the middle of the twentieth century. Commonly where this material has been used the material may suffer prematurely from frost damage. Where clay tiles are used as hip tiles, roofs (and especially dormer roofs), can appear heavy and look clumsy. More recently where slated roofs have been re-roofed with new material modern ventilated ridging has been fitted which appears incongruous.
4.4.6 Features such as cupolas and ventilators to roofs have survived adding interest to the roofscape.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Roof leadwork MANAGING CHANGE: Roofs
4.5 Gables: skews, skewputts and crowsteps
There will be a presumption to retain all examples of skews, skewputts and crowstepped gables, including where these features appear in wallhead dormers. Where there are ongoing problems with water penetration at skews, remedial work should be undertaken to ensure that appropriate damp proof membranes are installed and that the stones are held securely on the wallheads. The haunching to skews over the roofing slates should be sound and pointed up regularly. Only as a last resort should the feature be removed or covered over in lead.
Where skews have been removed and are known to have existed previously encouragement will be given to reinstating them.
4.5.1 Crowstepped gables are important features within any townscape, most closely associated with the earliest buildings in the conservation area. Crowsteps appear occasionally along Mid Street although these feature on Victorian buildings in a revivalist style rather than the earlier buildings. These should always be kept well preserved and well pointed to prevent water penetration.
4.5.2 More commonly found on buildings of all ages are plain stone skews with plain blocked skewputts, very occasionally decorative or with dates carved into the face. As the nineteenth century progressed skews would become increasingly three-dimensional, reflected in steeply angled or triangular shaped skewputts in the more elaborate examples of the high status buildings. A further development emerged with a growing preference for 'tympan' gables with complex profiles built off the wallheads of the street elevations around the end of the nineteenth century.
4.5.3 Skews may sometimes be the cause of water penetration if not well maintained, and in a few rare instances they have been removed, damaging the appearance of the building. Sometimes they will be subject to slippage as the mortar joints and beds fail due to exposure.
22
4.6 Pitched roof finishes: blue and other slate
All slate roofs should be preserved and repaired. Where roofs are beyond reasonable repair they should be re-roofed in salvaged material supplemented by closely matching material or, where such material is unavailable after reasonable enquiry in new slates that match the colour, texture, coursing and thickness and overall appearance of the existing roof. There will be a strong presumption against re-roofing in Spanish or purple Welsh slates where these are a poor match for the predominantly blue colour of the existing roofscape.
Particular care should be exercised over sourcing slates for roofs of West Highland slate due to the scarcity of the resource.
When re-roofing there will be a strong presumption against introducing modern construction practice such as roof ventilators which stand proud of the slates and destroy the appearance of traditional roofs. Penetration of roofs with ventilation terminals should be kept to a minimum and, if unavoidable, they should always be located on the reverse slopes of the roof.
4.6.1 Pitched roofs are among the most important elements of the townscape. Roofs in the conservation area would traditionally have been slated in dark blue West Highland variety, a few of which survive today. There has been a gradual loss of this traditional material to be replaced with Welsh slate. There are increasing instances of roofs being re-slated using machine-cut slates with non-diminishing courses which look out of place in the conservation area.
4.6.2 After the arrival of the railway, in the late nineteenth century machine dressed slates, often of a constant face size, were substituted for the smaller slates from the West Highland quarries. In the main the source of these slates appears to be Welsh, with a distinctive blue variegated colour rather than the purple associated more commonly with the quarries of North Wales. These slates were supplied to suit the Scottish market, and were normally heavier and more coarsely textured than the standard thin Welsh purple, or blue, slate. Machine dressed slates are recognisable by having a regular face size and coursing, but some variations occur where slates have varying face widths, producing an attractive roof
4.6.3 In the main, buildings erected after the middle of the twentieth century have slate roofs of varying
23
colours, which contribute to the harmonious appearance of the conservation area. Some new buildings have been erected where either Spanish or smooth purple Welsh slates have been specified, and occasionally older roofs may have been reslated in these materials. The texture and shiny black colour of Spanish slates and the use of thin, non-matching Welsh slates, or ones which are too purple in colour, appear as intrusive elements in the traditional roofscape.
4.6.4 A significant number of the roofs in the conservation area were observed to be in a poor state, with the customary problems of nail sickness and other common problems apparent such as the degradation of individual slates. Sometimes roofs that have failed have been replaced in unsuitable modern materials (see 4.8 below).
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Repairing Scottish slate roofs HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Ventilation in traditional houses MANAGING CHANGE: Roofs
4.7 Pitched roof finishes: corrugated iron
Corrugated iron roofs should generally be considered historic and to make a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the conservation area; in some cases the material may be replacing earlier roof materials such as thatch. Wherever possible the surfaces of the iron sheets should be preserved and prepared for painting, but where it can be established that the material is incapable of being repaired new material should be sourced which is an accurate match to the original. Painted surfaces would be considered preferable to a galvanised finish.
4.7.1 There are a few examples of roofs with corrugated iron finishes occurring in the conservation area, mostly as a roof covering to structures such as stores, garages and workshops. In the majority of cases these finishes should be considered as being historic. Often paint may no longer be effective and the sheets will be prone to rusting, and ultimately loss.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Care and Maintenance of Corrugated Iron
4.8 Pitched roof finishes: modern materials
There will be a presumption against modern roof finishes appearing in the conservation area as a substitute for slate. Where roofs have been re-roofed in modern materials, such as asbestos cement tile, concrete interlocking tiles or mineral felt tiles, encouragement will be given to replacing them with natural slate.
24
4.8.1 Keith has not suffered badly from the replacement of failed slated roofs with modern substitute materials such as asbestos cement slates or their modern alternatives, when compared with other historic burghs. Of regular face size, and appearing too thin, they are a poor substitute for slate. The colour washes out over a number of years in use and later examples are held in position with exposed clips which affects adversely the appearance of the roof.
4.8.2 There are a few examples of roofs in the conservation area which have been clad in plain concrete tiles or interlocking tiles. Thankfully, this material occurs most regularly in lesser buildings of the lanes where it is less prominent.
4.8.3 The use of corrugated asbestos roofing sheets is confined to low grade outbuildings or stores in the lanes. The use of this utilitarian material has a negative impact on the conservation area.
4.9 Rooflights
There will be a presumption in favour of retaining all traditional cast iron rooflights and historic glass in ‘non-living’ spaces of attics which should be repaired and preserved in their original positions.
Where new rooflights are introduced, they should be as few as are necessary, kept unobtrusive as possible, be of vertical proportions and should not be over-sized. Care should be taken over the selection of ‘conservation rooflights’ as some types are no more than standard rooflights with a subdivision of the glass panes, and can be considerably more intrusive than others. Conservation rooflights where the panes of glass are subdivided are deemed preferable to units with single panes, unless small in size. They should be chosen so that the frame of the rooflight sits as low as possible in relation to the line of the slates so that the appearance of the roof is undisturbed.
Where rooflights occur in symmetrical elevations consideration should be given to ensuring that the positions of rooflights are balanced within the overall composition of the façade. Wherever possible rooflights should be confined to the reverse slopes of roofs, and should be kept as low as possible in relation to the roof ridge.
25
4.9.1 Large numbers of traditional cast iron rooflights have survived throughout the conservation area. Of varying patterns and sizes, and often fitted with small overlapping panes of glass, they make a positive contribution to the roofscape of the conservation area.
4.9.2 Modern rooflights can be intrusive where older rooflights are replaced or where roofspaces have been converted for habitation, especially if they are oversized, or of square or horizontal proportions with large single sheets of unbroken glass when viewed from street level. Also, the frames tend to sit considerably higher above the roof finish than traditional cast iron skylights. Rooflights sold as ‘conservation rooflights’ can be little more than standard items with artificially subdivided glass panes and are considered unsuitable for use in the conservation area. Great care should be taken over the selection of suitable replacement rooflights of which good examples can be sourced from suppliers such as the Rooflight Company or Lumen Rooflights.
MANAGING CHANGE: Roofs
4.10 Dormer windows and box dormers
There will be a presumption in favour of retaining all traditional dormers as found, and repairs should be carried out always in like materials.
Proposals to reface timber used in dormers with modern materials such as uPVC will not be permitted, and the replacement of original dormer windows with modern replacements will be discouraged. Encouragement will be given to restoring earlier finishes and the profiles of dormers where changed in the past.
Infilling between dormers, or the formation of attic accommodation by the introduction of flat- roofed box dormers, will not be permitted. Opportunities should be pursued to remove unsightly box dormers.
4.10.1 Most historic burghs possess a rich legacy of dormer windows, Keith being no exception. These features give considerable rhythm and character to the roofscape of the conservation area.
4.10.2 The earliest examples of traditional patterns of dormers are no longer prominent features within the townscape as they had been once, and of these cat-slide dormers have survived in small numbers to the rear of buildings in the lanes. Occasionally cat-slide dormers appear on nineteenth century buildings. Some of the carved pedimented dormers which were once part of this seventeenth century tradition exist as replicas of the late nineteenth century of which there
26
are good examples surviving at 96-98 Mid Street, having been completely re-built using a grant from the CARS.
4.10.3 Towards the end of the nineteenth century the design of dormers became more diverse – while some are plain pedimented, others have semicircular heads or are gables blocked out to complement a gothic façade. There are also some vertically proportioned dormers built off the wallheads. It is not uncommon to find that carved stone detail, for instance in finials, has been damaged through decay, with many features lost, and not replaced.
4.10.4 Timber dormers appearing on the buildings of Mid Street are fairly diverse, with a number of them pedimented with distinctive console brackets, and some with decorative barge boards. Many of them have retained the original slate finish. Of the plainer types of dormer there are equally good examples to be found, for instance of angled dormers, or plain dormers with piended, or hipped roofs with lead coverings to the hips and ridges.
4.10.5 Keith has been largely spared large numbers of box dormers or later mansard roofs which have damaged so many other conservation areas, although a few examples were noted during the audit of properties. Flat-roofed box dormers are normally erected to gain additional headroom for the upper habitable spaces, or to introduce bathrooms at roof level. The most prominent example is to be found at 1 Chapel Street, a building with many later alternations. Although the vertical surfaces of box dormers are normally clad in slate, without exception they disturb the lines of a traditional roof and always have a negative impact on the conservation area.
MANAGING CHANGE: Roofs MANAGING CHANGE: Extensions
4.11 Decorative finials
All decorative finials adorning the roofscape, whether of turned wood, lead, carved stone, terracotta, or decorative cast iron, should be retained and conserved in position wherever possible, and should not be removed.
Encouragement will be given to ensuring that decorative finials which have been lost, and for which there is historic photographic evidence, are restored to the original patterns.
27
4.11.1 Finials are decorative architectural features. The plainest examples may be painted, turned wood; other examples of wooden finials may be clad in lead. Also common are the red clay finials of terracotta found on roofs from the turn of the twentieth century, but there are numerous examples of cast iron finials, mainly to the dormers of lesser roofs.
4.11.2 Keith has inherited a rich tradition which grew up in the nineteenth century of punctuating the skyline with decorative finials of varying types. Despite the loss of some fabric and detail, these features continue to make a positive contribution to the character of the conservation area.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Finials and terminals HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Terracotta and faience MANAGING CHANGE: Roofs
4.12 Low-pitched, or flat roofs
Lead lined roofs, where they have survived, should be preserved and repaired as appropriate. Where beyond repair the roof should be relined in new lead laid to current advisory standards, and this may require the roof decking to be relaid to achieve recommended falls and steps between lengths of lead sheeting. Leadwork should always be undertaken by specialist contractors. There will be a presumption against replacing lead roofs with modern materials or proprietary flat roof systems. Consideration should be given always to the possibility of the underside of the lead being damaged by condensation where roof insulation is introduced.
Lead lined gutters, often invisible within the conservation area, should always be maintained to avoid placing buildings at risk. Where linings have failed, the gutters should always be replaced in lead laid in accordance with current advisory standards which may require the wooden decking to be lifted and relaid to suit sheet lengths, step heights, falls to outlets and overflows. Where risks of ice build-up may occur, electric trace heating may be considered.
4.12.1 Early flat roofs occurring throughout the conservation area would have been finished in lead. There are relatively few flat roofs appearing in the conservation area, and they are mostly found between pitched roofs in the form of wide valley gutters, or behind stone parapets. Lead lined roofs have the potential to last for many years if laid correctly and maintained.
4.12.2 Lead parapet and valley gutters are important elements in preventing water from entering the interiors of buildings. Parapet gutters are mostly invisible from ground level, and where they are not maintained considerable damage can result, leading to severe outbreaks of timber infestation and fungal attack.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Roofing leadwork HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Bituminous sheet flat roofs: their repair and maintenance MANAGING CHANGE: Roofs
4.13 Bargeboards and eaves boards
Painted bargeboards and eaves boards where they are original should be preserved always and maintained whether plain or decorative. There will be a presumption against renewal in modern maintenance free materials such as uPVC.
There will also be a presumption against the fitting of flush eaves boards at wallheads where none existed previously.
28
4.13.1 Painted bargeboards and projecting eaves boards are absent among the earlier structures in the conservation area, and only began to appear in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. They are features normally associated with domestic buildings, of which there are some good examples occurring throughout the conservation area. Whilst perhaps being more basic than examples found elsewhere, these still add interest and variety to the roofline.
4.14 Rainwater disposal
Original rainwater goods of cast iron, even where plain, should always be preserved and maintained in good condition. There will be a presumption against replacement with modern rainwater goods of uPVC, GRP, or aluminium, and where systems have been replaced in this way encouragement will be given to restoring earlier cast iron patterns.
Given the significance of surviving decorative cast iron rainwater systems, repairs should be undertaken and salvaged sections of the original patterns should always be reused when systems have to be dismantled. Encouragement will be given over the sourcing of replacement sections which may require to be cast as an exact match of original patterns.
4.14.1 Buildings from the early nineteenth century onwards were normally fitted up with ordinary half- round cast iron rhones and round downpipes. Towards the end of the nineteenth century more elaborate patterns appeared on the principal buildings, of which nearly all have survived. Decorative cast iron rainwater goods were used extensively up to the 1930s. Not all of them are in good condition and some damaged sections have been lost and replaced. Square downpipes with decorative holderbatts, hoppers and ogee rhones supported on wall brackets, supplied by a number of different foundries, are to be seen on the buildings of the principal streets.
4.14.2 There have been problems in maintaining decorative rainwater goods. While many of the systems are capable of continuing in use, difficulties in obtaining replacement parts have led to temporary repairs having to be carried out, often in inappropriate materials.
4.14.3 For the lesser properties in the conservation area there has been a gradual erosion of original cast iron rainwater systems, and where improvements have been made it is common to find plastic
29
alternatives having been used. Although considered ‘maintenance free’, plastic rainwater goods have a flimsy appearance and can become brittle and prone to damage from ladders. They have none of the lasting qualities of well-maintained cast iron systems.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: The maintenance of cast iron rainwater goods MANAGING CHANGE: External fixtures
4.15 Soil and vent pipework
Wherever it is possible to do so surface soil and vent pipework should be re-routed internally; where terminals have to be incorporated they should be located on the reverse roof slopes away from principal elevations. No new systems in any material defacing historic buildings will be permitted within the conservation area.
4.15.1 Cast iron soil and vent pipework appearing on the face of buildings will be likely to date to the late nineteenth century onwards and reflect the introduction of sanitary regulations. More often than not, in older properties they reflect changes that have been made. Later systems may be of modern materials, such as uPVC. They are, without exception, disfiguring in appearance, especially where they occur on a principal elevation, or where seen along the length of a close.
4.16 Lime harling and early Portland cement renders
Traditional lime harls or renders are rare within the conservation area, and should be repaired, keeping as much original material as possible. Mortar for repairs should be based on analysis of the original mortar to establish the likely constituents and type and size of aggregate. Where replacement of harling is found to be unavoidable the mortar mix should match the material being replaced in colour, texture, strength of lime or cement and size of aggregate. Most traditional lime harling was finished in limewash, mostly white, of which there is evidence that has survived.
Much more common are examples of early Portland cement ashlared renders which can be found throughout the conservation area. An example of a very early render previously existed at 17 Reidhaven Square but, although as to be expected with a cementitious render of this age, it was in very poor condition and boss from the wall, necessitating its removal during restoration works there.
There will be a presumption against replacing traditional renders and harling with modern dense cement renders, and where such a finish has been applied in the recent past encouragement will be given for its removal and returning the wall to an earlier known state.
30
When removing old harling or rendered finishes there is always the possibility that features of archaeological interest will be uncovered, which should be recorded and, where appropriate, left exposed.
An example of lime harling surviving on Chapel Street
4.16.1 There is little evidence of original lime harled surfaces, these having been replaced in the main with cement-based mortars which are alien to the conservation area. Examples from late in the nineteenth century can occasionally be seen, generally surviving as isolated fragments. No complete limewashed finishes survive in the conservation area although they would have been commonplace at one point.
4.16.2 The greatest chance of finding survivals of lime harled surfaces occurs in the lanes, and here the finishes are often less like a traditional harl than a thin coat of lime applied over rubble masonry to give the appearance of a flush surface. Often this would be done as sneck harling, in which the faces of the largest stones would be seen exposed. Over time the surface would wash off, revealing the underlying rubble work
Examples of early Portland cement ashlared renders
4.16.3 It is possible that some areas of rendering identified as being original may in fact be of early Portland cement (a material which could have been in use from the late nineteenth century) and not lime. Early Portland cements are historic. Identification of the type of rendered finish will be essential in establishing appropriate repair strategies.
4.16.4 Where rendered surfaces have been renewed in dense cement the finish is never attractive, especially if left as self-finished. It is quite conceivable that the underlying masonry or brick surfaces will be damaged from the use of such strong material. Consideration should always be given to removing it and replacing with lime harling.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: The use of lime and cement in traditional buildings MANAGING CHANGE: External walls
31
4.17 Ashlar stone walling
Ashlar masonry walls should always be preserved, and there will be a presumption against ashlar work being painted. Repointing should be carried out only in lime putty mortar and only when necessary, applied skilfully and without widening joints in the finished work. Where individual stones may have decayed, repairs should be indented in small sections but in some cases the re- facing of a badly decayed surface may be merited. Considerable care should be taken over selecting suitable replacement stone where repairs are required, which should have regard to factors such as the porosity of the host stone, its colour and durability. Patch repairs, repointing in cement mortar or in any other material should never be undertaken. The use of proprietary repair mortars will be discouraged.
Wherever possible, paint layers should be removed to reveal the original wall finish.
Cleaning of sandstone will generally be discouraged. Also to be discouraged will be the application of proprietary weatherproof sealants or silicone-based products which can accelerate the processes of decay and lead to unexpected problems with the historic fabric. The presumption against these treatments will apply equally to all forms of masonry walling, and to brick.
There will also be a presumption against undertaking repairs to decayed ashlar masonry as plastic repairs or in modern untried lime-based restoration mortars such as Lithomex applied over large areas of masonry.
4.17.1 Ashlar stone walling from all ages would be reserved for the town’s principal buildings, and often would be restricted to the street elevation. As a measure of the skill of the masons a many different forms of ashlar masonry has been attempted. There are good examples to be found of smooth (or polished) ashlar, hammer-dressed, rock-faced, random tooled, vertically and angled droved and rusticated ashlar with both channelled and vee-jointed examples.
32
4.17.2 The colour of the stone used for ashlar work varies considerably across the whole of the conservation area. It varies from blonde sandstone used for the later buildings (and, often, quite soft), and from yellow through to orange coloured sandstone which may be iron-rich and browner, or even a more commonly used pink-coloured stone. Some of the stone is noticeably grey in tone. Granites feature in some of the grander buildings ranging in colour from dark grey to bright, polished pink. This adds considerably to the variety of the streetscape.
4.17.3 In some cases ashlar masonry has been painted over in the past, often at ground floor and normally only where shopfronts occur
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: The use of lime and cement in traditional buildings HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Repointing ashlar masonry HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Indent repairs to ashlar sandstone masonry HISTORIC SCOTLAND: Cleaning sandstone: risks and consequences MANAGING CHANGE: External Walls
4.18 Rubble masonry
Rubble stone walling should be preserved as close as possible to its original state, and there will be a presumption against coating it with harled or dry-dashed finishes unless it can be proved that the walling had been originally harled. Original lime mortars should always be preserved where sound and in general dense cement pointing should be removed, unless the act of removing it is likely to cause unacceptable damage to the underlying masonry. Replacement lime mortars should be based on an analysis of the original mortars in terms of the type of lime, its hydraulicity, and the type of aggregate which should be matched carefully in the finished work.
Considerable care should be taken when repointing to ensure that the style of the original pointing is replicated in the finished work. There will be a presumption to retain all sound original mortar.
4.18.1 Rubble masonry is the most common wall treatment throughout the conservation area, the usual stone being a locally quarried schist, which is not commonly used as a building stone. The high mica content of this stone gives it a glittery quality and distinctive texture, especially when wet. Later buildings use different types of stone brought in from outside of the local vicinity including pink granite and buff sandstone.
4.18.2 Earlier walling would have been harled originally. Where the harling has worn off uncoursed
33
random rubble has been revealed. Coursed masonry with a large number of small snecks in the interstices between stones may suggest masonry of the late eighteenth century, for which the walls had been prepared for harling. By the nineteenth century, lime harls appear to have been dispensed with and rubble walls were built with more regular coursing and with the absence of snecks; in some cases they were built to receive a thin coat of harling, or alternatively they were sneck harled leaving the surfaces of the larger stones exposed. A further development was in building coursed rubble walls with a wide joint in lime mortar but lined out to give the impression of coursed masonry.
4.18.3 There is strong evidence to suggest that, prior to the mid-nineteenth century, in the growing absence of applied harled finishes to walls built of rubble were given coats of limewash to improve their appearance.
4.18.4 It is not unusual to encounter frontages on the principal streets where the less important buildings were to be found constructed of regular coursed rubble, or of square coursed snecked rubble.
4.18.5 Although there are some surviving examples of lime pointing, the majority of walls have been repointed in unattractive dense cement mortar. Where this has happened it is not uncommon to see considerable damage caused to the sandstone from accelerated weathering. There was some good progress made during the CARS in reversing this trend, however, and there are now a good number of contemporary examples of lime pointed walls.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: The use of lime and cement in traditional buildings HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Repointing rubble stonework HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Masonry decay: dealing with the erosion of sandstone MANAGING CHANGE: External walls
4.19 Carved stone: architectural detail and sculpture
Although the earlier buildings in the conservation area are built in a simple vernacular style, the later, more substantial Victorian examples display some fine carved stone detail which ably demonstrate the skill of the local masons. In some cases the use of soft sandstone has accelerated the decay of carved detail, but this appears to be less of a problem than in some of the neighbouring towns. In such cases it may be possible, and indeed appropriate, to restore lost detail for reasons of maintaining the architectural integrity of a composition – for instance, in the replacement of missing finials. However, if the loss of carved detail is extreme it may have to be accepted that it cannot be restored. Fine carved detail should be repaired and consolidated only by skilled craftsmen and conservators. In general there will be a presumption against repairing damaged carved architectural detail and sculpture with plastic repairs, or by the use of proprietary repair mortars.
Excellent examples of carved work may be found on civic buildings such as the Keith Institute, and the Clydesdale Bank building which features a large intricately-carved pediment and columns. Notable residential buildings include 96-98 Mid Street, where much of the carved detail had weathered badly and has subsequently been restored and re-created using grant money from the CARS. Where elements of carved stonework have been removed they should be restored. Repairs to carved stonework should be undertaken only by accredited conservators in accordance with a written report. Repairs to preserved armorial panels, carved lintols and other features of archaeological interest should, likewise, be undertaken only by an accredited conservato
4.19.1 By the end of the nineteenth century carvings appear frequently, adorning a number of buildings throughout the conservation area. These skills are translated into carved inscriptions and date- stones on buildings, of which there are some examples of the late eighteenth and mid nineteenth centuries are to be seen
34
4.19.2 While fine carving is to be found on the town's leading commercial buildings, the two churches, St Thomas’s and the North Church exhibit some excellent sculptural detail. In particular, St Thomas’s features striking carved volutes and finials.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Cleaning sandstone: risks and consequences MANAGING CHANGE: External walls
4.20 Datestones
Carved datestones can tell us a great deal about the history of a particular site and Keith has some examples from the mid eighteenth century onwards. Datestones should always be preserved in situ and consideration should be given to ensuring that the evidence is not lost through stone decay – vulnerable examples should be fully recorded and consideration given to engaging a conservator to arrest further decay.
4.20.1 There are a few surviving examples of datestones on buildings in the conservation area ranging from around the mid-eighteenth to late-nineteenth centuries, when the great majority of the buildings were constructed . They provide important information about the history of individual sites, and often the names or initials of those involved may be recorded for posterity. They add considerably to an understanding of how the town had evolved.
4.21 Masonry decay
Where sandstone has decayed considerable care will require to be exercised over determining suitable repair strategies, which may extend to stone indenting, re-facing the worst affected areas with matching (but more durable) stone. In some cases a sacrificial weak ashlared lime- based render may be considered appropriate. Each case will be considered on its merits, and
35
there may be no standard solutions, but if applications for external funding are successful the Council will seek to provide guidance on the most appropriate repair technologies after having commissioned research and specialist reports.
Embedded iron fixings may cause stone to split, and should always be drilled and repaired out to prevent further damage from rusting.
Subject to the foregoing, extensive work by way of plastic repairs using proprietary restoration mortars, or from using cement rich mortars likely to aggravate the risk to the underlying fabric in the longer term, will be discouraged. Work in repairing or replacing decayed stonework should be carried out only by skilled masons.
4.21.1 The use of soft sandstone, quarried during the course of the nineteenth century, has caused damage to the facades, decorative architectural detail, and the features at high level such as parapets and chimneyheads. Some masonry collapses have occurred, mainly from failing chimneys. There are a number of examples of masonry suffering from severe stone decay caused by a combination of wrongly bedded stones, the use of hard cement pointing and failed rainwater goods. The problem can be manifested in the loss of profiles to raised window margins or lintols, or from the interruption of key architectural detail in mouldings and string courses. In general, but with some exceptions, the standard to which repairs have been carried out throughout the conservation area has fallen short of recommended conservation practice.
4.21.2 Rubble masonry, especially where this occurs at exposed gables at high level, can present problems where individual stones are soft; often it is the case that the condition of the masonry has been exacerbated by the use of dense cement mortars.
4.21.3 Occasionally the decay of sandstone masonry will be caused by embedded iron fixings, resulting in the stone splitting.
4.21.4 There are no standard answers to the repair of soft sandstone, and each case will need to be considered on its merits. Sandstone will require to match the colour of the original stone carefully, and although of greater durability than the host stone, it should not be so durable as to accelerate the decay of the walling or feature being repaired. Indenting or re-facing stonework is highly skilled work, and in some cases it may be appropriate to consider the application of a lime ashlared render, or a render on an expanded stainless steel metal lath depending on the soundness of the substrate. Where extensive repairs are needed the application of a limewash finish may need to be considered to maintain architectural integrity where this is considered important.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: The use of lime and cement in traditional buildings HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Masonry decay: dealing with the erosion of sandstone HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Indent repairs to sandstone ashlar masonry MANAGING CHANGE: External walls
36
4.22 Brickwork
The contribution made by brickwork is relatively small but should not be overlooked. The use of this material is not just confined to chimneyheads.
Surviving panels should be preserved and repaired with traditional non- cement based mortars to match the original work. Where individual bricks require to be replaced, or areas of damaged brickwork taken down and rebuilt, second hand bricks to match colour, texture, and face size, should be used. Where they are unavailable, matching new handmade bricks should be substituted. Modern machine wire-cut bricks should never be used as they are different in appearance, with face dimensions that are much smaller than handmade Victorian bricks.
4.22.1 Bricks have never played a major part in Keith’s historic townscape, largely because stone was stone was so readily available locally without incurring transportation costs. There were nearby brick works at Craigellachie and north of Elgin at Lochside.
4.22.2 Towards the end of the nineteenth century the use of the material became more common, but it is rare to find brickwork other than in the lanes behind Mid Street. Uses were for extensions, pend walls leading to closes, gable infill walls and occasionally for rear and side walls of buildings which were not intended to be prominent when erected. Often chimneys are built of brick, or have been rebuilt in brick where stonework may have failed, or especially where a chimneyhead was extended upwards.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Repairing brickwork MANAGING CHANGE: External walls
4.23 Timber cladding
Traditional timber clad walls of vertical boards are not common features within the conservation area, but where they exist they should be repaired in like materials and the painted or stained finish preserved. Replacement in alternative modern materials, such as PVC, will not be acceptable.
37
4.23.1 Timber cladding is rarely used throughout the conservation area, and where it has survived it takes the traditional form of painted, limewashed or creosoted vertical boards with cover battens.
4.24 Structural movement
Structural movement arising from poor foundation is not considered to be a major problem throughout the conservation area. Where structural cracking has occurred in external walls and is considered to be progressive, the advice of a structural engineer experienced in the repair of historic buildings is recommended. Repairs should never be visually intrusive.
4.24.1 Buildings throughout the conservation area appear to have been built on sound foundations and few problems were observed with structural movement. Where minor problems were observed the route of cracking followed the weak spots in the external walls, focussed on lintols, cills and window spandrels, or along flue lines in gables as well as more commonly in poorly-maintained chimneyheads. Occasionally some outward movement could be observed at the heads of walls suggesting problems with rafter thrust from trussed roofs.
4.24.2 In a case at 160-162 Mid Street, there is a structural crack on the turret facing into the lane. Upon investigation, this was found to have been caused by heavy goods vehicles using the lanes for access and striking the turret.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Foundations and wall footings HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Structural cracks
38
4.25 Use of colour
The application of colour has a greater potential to enhance the appearance of the conservation area than it does at the present. Consideration should be given to following historical precedent where this can be established from studying historical photographs, or the evidence of paint layers on the surface of the building.
From the evidence of historic photographs consideration should always be given to reverting to darker colours for window joinery where this enhances the appearance of the building.
Where painting schemes that have been introduced are disruptive to the overall appearance of a unified architectural design within the streetscape, consideration should be given always to removing the paint and restoring the original wall surface. Vivid colours chosen for shopfronts and fascias have the potential to be visually disturbing to the overall unity of the historic townscape and should be avoided.
4.25.1 At present the use of colour is restrained and does not, in general, make a strong contribution to the townscape. Colour applied to rendered or harled surfaces is normally neutral, either in white, grey or cream and black and white colour schemes are not uncommon.
4.25.2 Shopfronts can appear more brightly coloured, but even here it is not uncommon to find the structural elements of the shopfront painted white, black or cream and many shopfront colours are subdued. Vivid colours can have a disturbing effect on the townscape, and the impact can be even greater if the associated signage is over-sized, or too brightly coloured.
4.25.3 Occasionally a unified design as part of a street frontage can be disturbed by the walls above a shop frontage having been painted out.
4.25.4 Entries to the lanes off Mid Street can occasionally give an insight to older colour schemes which are now mostly obscured by later decoration. Painted dado panels would not have been uncommon at one time, and it is possible to see that there had been more colour applied to buildings in the past where paint layers have peeled off.
4.25.5 Where traditional lime harls or smooth ashlared renders are applied, there will be no presumption against the use of strong natural coloured or pigmented limewashes, such as may have been found in the past, provided they are based soundly on historic examples.
MANAGING CHANGE: External walls
4.26 Architectural ceramics
All examples of architectural ceramics in the conservation area should be preserved. Encouragement will be given to ensuring that the repairs are carried out only by specialist conservators. Only matching tiles or mosaics should be used to maintain the integrity of the design of each panel.
39
4.26.1 There is a good selection of architectural ceramics surviving in the conservation area, appearing mainly as encaustic tiled floors at entrance lobbies to shops, churches or private residences and notably as a surviving Buttercup Dairy Company ceramic wall tile arrangement.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Ceramic tiled flooring
4.27 Wall openings: maintaining proportion and rhythm
The rhythm of wall openings at first and upper floors of properties should be preserved. There will be a presumption against enlarging them to create picture windows, or changing their proportions. There will also be a presumption against the removal of intermediate structural mullions, whether of stone or timber, when seeking to modernise window openings.
Decorative wall treatments surrounding windows and doors should always be preserved and repaired where damaged or decayed.
4.27.1 In common with many historic burghs, while alterations were taking place throughout many stages in the evolution of the town centre to respond to the pressures of retailing at street level, the pattern of window openings remained substantially unaltered at the upper storeys, giving a strong sense of authenticity to the historic townscape. This occurred even in those cases where additional storeys were added to the original frontage at a later date. They create an unbroken rhythm at the upper storeys and punctuate the wall planes, characteristics which can be appreciated in the long vistas from the ends of Mid Street, and along its entire length.
4.27.2 Openings on the upper storeys are sensitive to change, and their contribution to the townscape relies on maintaining a vertical emphasis from the use of short stone lintols.
4.27.3 Although changes have occurred from modernisation, sufficient numbers of the traditional shopfronts of the nineteenth century have survived on Mid Street to contribute positively to the rhythm of the openings of the principal street frontages.
4.27.4 Window openings are embellished in a number of ways. While the majority have plain raised window margins, sometimes painted depending on the treatment of the wall surfaces, occasionally margins and mullions will be chamfered for greater elegance. Moulded architraves, pediments and hood mouldings may also appear around and above window openings. Many of the architectural features have, unfortunately, been affected by stone decay (see 4.21), but the quality of the carved detail is generally of a good order.
MANAGING CHANGE: External walls
40
4.28 Traditional windows
There will be a presumption against the further loss of traditional windows throughout the conservation area. Individual sashes or window frames should be repaired always in preference to replacement. Where timber windows are beyond repair, replacements should match the original work exactly in terms of materials, mouldings, astragal sections and patterns, and decorative finish. Standard stock mouldings will not be acceptable. There will be a presumption against clear varnishing or staining in modern woodstains and windows should normally be painted, unless evidence of past historic finishes suggests otherwise. Consideration should be given always to reinstating original patterns of windows where they have been lost in the interests of preserving the authenticity of the conservation area. Where windows had been multi-paned originally, consideration should be given to reinstating known astragal patterns especially where it is important to restore the architectural integrity of the façade.
Traditional sash and case windows need not be dispensed with because of problems with draught-proofing - there are proprietary systems available which will achieve improved performance, and without loss of appearance. There will be a presumption against the replacement of traditional sash and case window glass with double glazed units where the existing window assemblies are sound. Where windows are beyond repair, and there is no loss of historic glass, replacement units should result in no obvious change of external appearance, for which the fitting of narrow width double glazed units may be considered appropriate. It should always be borne in mind that double glazed units may have only a limited life before the hermetic seal breaks down and the units require to be replaced. Secondary glazing systems will be looked upon favourably provided they are not unduly visible from the exterior of the building or interfere with the astragal patterns. There will be a presumption against the introduction of trickle ventilators to window sashes.
All historic ironmongery should be preserved and reused in any replacement windows.
4.28.1 Together with the treatment of the surrounds, windows have much to inform us about the history of the building and architectural styles. The earliest surviving windows in the conservation area are likely to date from the early nineteenth century by which time the production of sash and case windows with elegant narrow astragals was well within the capabilities of local house carpenters and joiners. There were limitations on pane sizes producing the universal multi-paned sashes of which there are several examples in the conservation area, more than in many other conservation areas.
4.28.2 With plate glass becoming readily available from the middle of the nineteenth century window panes became larger. In some cases window sashes would have been replaced so that single panes of glass could be introduced to each sash. Sashes with plain glass and without astragals are by far and above the most common pattern of sash and case window to be found in the conservation area. In some of the lesser properties of the lanes and closes 2-paned sashes,
41
subdivided vertically, have survived. Towards the end of the century horns might be introduced to the upper sashes of windows, although the use of horns in windows replicating patterns before this date would be incorrect. From the 1890s onwards, with the rising influence of the Arts and Crafts Movement, there are good examples to be found of windows with unequal sashes, with the smaller upper sashes being multi-paned.
4.28.3 The rate of loss of traditional sash and case windows and replacement with modern windows has accelerated in recent years, to the point that the authenticity of the character and appearance of the conservation area has been impaired. It is not a particularly new phenomenon, and is likely to have begun several decades ago. Since then there has been an onslaught of different types of window – aluminium, timber replacements with modern profiles and, more recently, uPVC. While in some cases there has been no endeavour to replicate the pattern of the windows being replaced, where window patterns have been replicated the result bears little more than a notional likeness. In some cases replacement windows have been positively damaging – for instance, where a symmetrical façade has been subject to change over one half of the elevation, but where the sash line fails to line through with the subtlety of the original work. There are also examples where both sets of original windows have been renewed, with neither matching the other exactly.
4.28.4 More often the damage caused is incremental, from factors such as oversized astragals, modern glazing beads, a lack of depth in the appearance of the window, differentiations in how windows open (top-hung as opposed to sliding sash, etc), the addition of trickle ventilators, and the impact of modern glass. Sash boxes of traditional sash and case windows in an urban environment would always be disguised behind the stone rybats of the window surround, revealing only the slim profile of the sash itself; in many replacement units the subtlety of this arrangement has been destroyed, changing the appearance of the fenestration pattern.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Maintaining sash and case windows HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Timber window shutters HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Improving energy efficiency in traditional buildings HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Energy efficiency in traditional homes HISTORIC SCOTLAND SHORT GUIDE: Sash and case windows: a short guide for homeowners MANAGING CHANGE: Windows
42
4.29 Historic glass
Examples of historic glass should always be preserved, even if imperfect, and despite having minor defects or cracks. Where repair works of any kind are undertaken historic glass should be protected against damage. Where panes have to be removed, for instance, when carrying out repairs to window frames, care should be taken over its removal for which the use of a putty lamp would be strongly advised. Curved glass should never be replaced with straight panes of glass, and consideration should be given to replacing broken historic glass with reproduction cylinder glass to give the desired characteristic distorted reflections. Glazing should always be bedded and pointed up in traditional linseed oil putty, which should be painted and not left undecorated, stained, or varnished.
4.29.1 Mid Street conservation area has little surviving historic glass in windows, characterised by distortions in the reflections of the glass and the evidence of how the glass has been manufactured. This is particularly noticeable in cylinder glass. There are some examples to be seen of bottle glass of inferior quality used in windows to the rear of buildings or within the lanes. While none of the examples are likely to date from before the early nineteenth century, historic glass is vulnerable and is damaged easily.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Maintaining traditional plain glass and glazing MANAGING CHANGE: Windows
4.30 Decorative glass and its protection
There are few surviving panels of decorative glass to stairwells in domestic and commercial properties and where they occur the glass should be preserved. Etched glass panels may be found at inner glazed doors at entrance lobbies. Repairs to stained or coloured glass should be undertaken only by skilled conservators.
Zinc or lead painted diamond-paned panels to the lancet windows of churches, or former church buildings, should be preserved and repaired by specialists. There will be a presumption against their removal and replacement with panels of modern glass.
Where protection of decorative glass is required, there will be a presumption against the use of clear polycarbonate sheeting throughout the conservation area. Specialist advice should always be sought on appropriate methods of protection, taking into account the preservation of the architectural appearance of the building and its contribution to the streetscape, and matters such as fixings into masonry, ventilation, and the creation of a microclimate within the cavity.
43
4.30.1 Both of the principal ecclesiastical buildings within the conservation area have excellent examples of stained decorative glass, plain glass with lead kames or zinc with coloured borders commensurate with the status of the buildings, and to reflect the generosity of local philanthropy. All of the glass is protected against casual damage or vandalism but in such a way that external views are ruined.
4.30.2 Examples of stained glass panels to domestic properties can be seen throughout the conservation area and not uncommonly these are found within windows illuminating staircases within the lanes. There also examples of etched glass panels to the inner glazed doors of entrance lobbies.
4.30.3 The application of protective sheeting, unless carefully handled, detracts from the way in which window openings are read within the wall planes, especially where window tracery has been disguised. Polycarbonate sheeting is prone to yellowing over time and the use of such materials will be discouraged.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Domestic decorative glass
4.31 Traditional doors and fanlights
Many original doors serving both residential and business properties have been lost in the conservation area leading to an erosion of its character and appearance. Where original doors survive they should be preserved and repaired. There will be a presumption against the replacement of doors with modern hardwood off-the-shelf patterns or uPVC doorsets. Historic ironmongery, including knobs, letter boxes and brass numerals should always be retained, and overhauled as required in preference to replacement with modern ironmongery.
Encouragement will be given to restoring the patterns of lost traditional doors wherever possible. Unless it can be established to the contrary, doors and their replacements should always be painted or varnished. Original decorative finishes should be matched in any replacement work and there will be a presumption against finishing with modern woodstains, or clear varnishing. Door fanlights and any associated historic glass should always be preserved.
44
4.31.1 Keith has a good collection of traditional doors serving various kinds of properties of differing ages, many of which have survived. They make a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the conservation area.
4.31.2 Doors are of many styles. Examples seen in the conservation area consist of flush panelled, panelled with raised bolection mouldings, double margin, beaded panelled and fielded panelled doors. Simpler doors are usually vertically lined. Many doors were observed with traditional fanlights. A few doors of the late nineteenth century serving commercial premises were observed with decorative design motifs.
4.31.3 Where doors have been renewed with modern off-the-shelf replacements, or with doorsets in aluminium or uPVC tailored to the sizes of the openings, the result is never satisfactory. These elements appear jarring within the conservation area. The visual damage can be all the greater where doorsets have been renewed in semi-detached properties where pairs of doors are no longer a match for one another
4.31.4 Traditional ironmongery, letterboxes, door knockers, brass and painted letter numerals, and early nineteenth century boot-scrapers, where they have survived, add to the interest in the street scene and should always be preserved.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: External timber doors HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Energy Efficiency in Traditional Homes HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Improving energy efficiency in traditional buildings HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Domestic decorative glass
4.32 Porches and porch canopies
Original porches, or porch canopies, are important decorative features within the conservation area and there will be a presumption against their removal, or altering them. Repairs should be carried out in matching material and surfaces should only be decorated where they were so treated previously.
There will be a presumption against the erection of new porches, or conservatories in modern materials such as uPVC or aluminium where they appear on any elevation visible to a street or from within one of the lanes.
4.32.1 There are few examples of porches within the conservation area which reflects the fact that most
45
of the properties are built up to the rear of the pavement line, or are found within the closes where the available space may be confined. The best examples appear at 49 & 51 Mid Street as recessed and arched stone porches and at the entrance to the former Palace Theatre on Mid Street.
4.33 Traditional shopfronts
There are fine examples of shopfronts of all periods, from simple enlarged openings in a gable wall to shopfronts which have retained the original stone piers to the more elaborate later cast iron shopfronts. Taken collectively this represents a significant resource which continues to make a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the conservation area, despite the many changes that have occurred. The appearance of shops provides an insight into the wellbeing of the town, given current retail pressures and the impact on small businesses. There will be a presumption to retain all traditional shopfronts and their fittings, and encouragement will be given to restoring lost features and recovering the authentic appearance of shopfronts as they appeared on historic photographs. Original outer doors (of which considerable numbers have survived), inner glazed doors, fanlights and ironmongery should be preserved wherever they have survived.
Particular emphasis will be given to the impact of decorative schemes in improving the townscape. Encouragement will be given to establishing past decorative schemes by undertaking historic paint layer investigation as appropriate in order to inform the choice of colours and how they should be applied to the architectural elements of the shopfront, many of which are currently painted in bland colours or, conversely, colours for which there is no historical precedent and which appear too bright. There will be a presumption against painting stonework surrounding a shopfront where there had been no painted finish previously, and encouragement will be given to the removal of paint from masonry where it has been applied in the past.
Shop windows rendered 'blind' through the application of opaque film with shop advertising will not be permitted in the conservation area.
There will be a presumption against the use of security roller shutters, or external protective grilles. Where they have been fitted encouragement will be given to their removal, and returning the shopfront to an earlier known state. Removable, or fold away grilles, would be preferred where external security is considered to be an issue, but they should always be fitted within the openings of the shop windows and should never project beyond the line of the frame of the shopfront or the adjoining wall.
Consideration should be given to developing a design guide on shopfronts to assist the business community in achieving the above aims.
4.33.1 Cast iron shopfronts were introduced to Keith from around the middle of the nineteenth century. Until then most shopfronts had plain masonry piers, of which a number have survived on the Mid Street. The earliest shops had enlarged openings to the gable elevation facing the street, of which a
46
few examples survive. Later stone shopfronts were more elaborate, and some in Keith have retained elegant stone arcades or pilasters.
4.32.2 As stone shopfronts became more sophisticated the stone pillars were reduced in order to maximise the amount of glass, made possible with advances in plate glass manufacturing and transportation. Cast iron shopfronts would have been supplied most probably from either the Newmill iron foundry in Elgin, or the Rose Street foundry in Inverness, and they are often difficult to distinguish from stone in having chamfered pillars and lintols. They are often combined with plain iron lintols which can be distinguished by the fact that they are always painted.
4.33.3 Many traditional examples have been lost with programmes of modernisation over the past fifty years or so, to the detriment of the appearance of the conservation area. Despite this, the rate of survival is surprisingly high, even though it may be difficult always to identify the original fabric. In a few cases the original glazed doors have survived.
4.33.4 There are no examples of good shopfronts surviving from the mid- twentieth century.
4.33.5 Negative factors relate primarily to the degree to which an original shopfront has been submerged beneath insensitive and oversized signage (see 4.34, below), or where decorative schemes for shopfronts fail to bring out the features of the façade in ways which had been done in the past. Keith had splendid shop frontages from examining historic photographs in which the architectural detail had been carefully defined in traditional decorative schemes much of which has now been subdued or lost even. Late twentieth century shopfronts do little to contribute to the character and appearance of the conservation area and quite often detract from it.
47
4.33.6 Roller shutters have been particularly damaging to the minority of shop frontages to which they have been fitted and have a marked negative impact on the wider conservation area.
4.33.7 Several shopfronts have retained original doors and ironmongery.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND SHORT GUIDE: Traditional shopfronts: a short guide for shop owners
4.34 Shop signage and illumination
Encouragement will be given to shop owners to improve their shopfronts, based on knowledge of how they may have appeared in the past, having particular regard to the manner in which advertising was restricted to certain areas, and how fascias were used to display the name of the business and the wares being sold.
There will be a presumption against shop fascias which are larger than the area intended historically for lettering, and those which appear oversized in relation to the street elevation. Further, there will be a presumption against internally illuminated shop fascias and projecting box signs, subject to detailed guidance. Overhead illumination of signs should be proportionate to their size and impact on the street elevation, and should be discreet and not result in light pollution. There will be a presumption against the installation of highly reflective shop fascias, and of advertising panels applied to masonry piers or shop surrounds. Hanging projecting signs should be aligned in height with the structural shop fascia.
Projecting canopies or awnings must be of a design and of materials appropriate to the character of the shop or street. There will be a presumption against the use of modern awnings with rounded profiles or ends. Lettering applied to awnings should not be dominant within the streetscape.
Consideration should be given to developing a design guide on shopfronts to assist the business community in achieving the above aims.
4.34.1 Historic photographs of Mid Street and of individual shops reveal the subtlety of how traders promoted their wares and took particular care of the design and display of their shopfronts. Lettering would be applied as individual letters in relief, painted on, or would be part of a unified glass panel. Most of the shop signs conformed to an unwritten code that lettering would be confined within the limitations of the stone band over the shop windows, or in the case of the later shopfronts, within the area of the structural fascia panel. The breakdown of this ‘code’ seems to
48
have begun in the latter half of the twentieth century and may have been prompted by the arrival of the national stores on the country’s main shopping streets. Paradoxically, it is often the case now that the national retailers have standard designs for shop fascias that comply with the requirements of most conservation areas in which their shops appear.
Examples of oversized shop fascias 4.34.2 Nowadays none of the original shop signs have survived in use on Mid Street, and signwriting has become much less practised as an art. Some of the signs on Mid Street are of highly reflective plastic and, with few exceptions, are intrusive, often with poorly designed computer-generated letters and images. Many of the signs are overlarge for the shopfront, overwhelming any interesting architectural detail that may have survived. In townscape terms, the effect of continuous arcading of columns and shaped lintols can disappear, or be interrupted. Against this, there are exemplary shopfronts to be found which conform with good practice.
4.34.3 In general, projecting signs have been well controlled and do not interfere with the long views to be enjoyed down Mid Street.
4.34.4 Poor illumination of signs can be highly detrimental to the character and appearance of the conservation area, and there are both good and bad examples to be seen on the town's principal street. Internally illuminated fascias and projecting box signs are intrusive. Indirect external illumination can also be acceptable, provided that the number of fittings is kept to a minimum.
Surviving shop sign relating to past uses
4.34.5 There are some examples to be seen in the conservation area of finely detailed timber fascia boards, not all of them in use as current shop signage.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND SHORT GUIDE: Traditional shopfronts: a short guide for shop owners
4.35 Historic signs and interpretation
There will be a presumption in favour of preserving historic painted signs, street names and close signs, and other features in the townscape representing past commercial activity in the burgh.
Surviving examples of painted house numerals should always be preserved.
49
4.35.1 It is often the case that remnants of past retail activity in a historic burgh or city will become embedded in the fabric of buildings and spaces, and will survive changes made in more recent times. Sometimes they relate to old signs that have not been painted over, advertising which has not been removed, or trade symbols.
4.35.2 The lanes of Keith have only recently been named, each lane now having a ‘heritage style’ sign. Enamelled local street signs have survived for each street in the conservation area. There are cast metal finger-style signs at either end of Mid Street giving visitors directional but these are out-of- date, giving directions to some amenities that no longer exist and appear unmaintained.
4.35.3 A few historic painted signs, now faded, appear at high level on building facades and on rendered panels at projecting gables within the streetscape. They provide important information about past trading activity.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND SHORT GUIDE: Traditional shopfronts: a short guide for shop owners MANAGING CHANGE: External fixtures
4.36 Boundary walls
Lengths of boundary walls of rubble stonework where collapsed should be preserved and repaired in matching material, or where the profile has been broken. Damaging pointing in dense cement mortar should be raked out and rubble masonry repointed in lime mortar matching historical precedent. There will be a presumption against the demolition of stone boundary walls and rebuilding them in modern materials.
4.36.1 Boundary walls may assume particular importance in the backlands where defining the old burgage plots within the closes. Older boundary walls are often defined by rubble work consisting largely of field stones and the local shists.
50
4.36.2 Decorative gate piers are important elements defining entrances to the more important buildings of any conservation area. The only good examples of gate piers found are at Reidhaven Square to the back of 51 Mid Street and probably belonging to an earlier building now demolished.
4.36.3 The treatment of boundaries formed in the late twentieth century, for instance where the car parks have been introduced into the backland areas of the lanes and where social housing schemes have been erected is, in general, much less satisfactory. Boundaries may be defined by unfinished concrete block walls, or in timber fencing.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Domestic boundary walls HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Earth mortar and earth buildings MANAGING CHANGE: Boundaries
4.37 Decorative architectural metalwork
As many historic burghs on the Scottish mainland, Keith has suffered the loss of architectural metalwork removed for the war effort. There will be a presumption to keep all cast iron gates, gate piers and decorative boundary wall treatments, and encouragement will be given to keeping these elements well maintained.
Decorative cast iron railings to buildings on street facades should always be preserved and, where damaged, should only be repaired by skilled tradesmen experienced in repairing cast iron or traditional wrought iron.
Broken or decayed sections of decorative cast iron ventilator grilles to shopfront and stall risers should be repaired or replaced in matching material and patterns.
4.37.1 Keith has not traditionally featured much in the way of boundary ironwork as the majority of the buildings face directly onto the pavement of Mid Street. The lanes have traditionally been constructed in a more basic fashion, and have not featured a great deal of decorative ironwork.
4.37.2 Good examples of decorative cast iron crestings to the ridges of roofs and balconies are not uncommon features, especially towards the north end of Mid Street. Unfortunately, these are generally in poor condition and often not complete.
4.37.3 The remains of a few lamp or signage brackets can still be seen, a basic example being found at Chapel Street.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: Boundary ironwork: a guide to reinstatement HISTORIC SCOTLAND INFORM GUIDE: The maintenance of iron gates and railings MANAGING CHANGE: Boundaries MANAGING CHANGE: External fixtures
51
5 Public realm
5.1 Introduction
5.1.1 The following guidance is based on the findings of comprehensive audits of the public realm and parks undertaken for the Conservation Area Appraisal (Part 1). The audit took into account: the significance of surviving elements of historic fabric; levels of authenticity; where change had occurred; negative features; and any recurring problems.
5.1.2 Clauses setting out guidance on repair and enhancement in the clauses that follow are summarised at the beginning of each category in lighter bold type. Outline guidance is followed by narrative on the extent to which the subject makes a contribution to the character and appearance of the conservation area.
5.2 Private Gardens and Grounds
The loss of gardens and gap sites to car parking or inappropriate development should be resisted.
The loss of original feu walls and boundary treatments should also be resisted and the reinstatement of appropriate boundary treatments encouraged, having regard to traditional boundary treatments throughout the conservation area.
Encourage active maintenance and pride in visible private or communal frontages to strengthen the importance of the conservation area.
5.3 Trees
The retention of all trees within the conservation area contributing to the setting of buildings, the wider streetscape and open spaces will be encouraged.
5.3.1 There are relatively few trees in the conservation area due to the density of development along Mid Street. The majority of trees are found in the gardens behind Mid Street, visible from the lanes.
5.3.2 A number of young trees have been planted in Reidhaven Square, restoring a view from a photograph taken in the early 20th century showing an avenue of trees along the square, leading up to St Thomas’s church.
THE INVENTORY OF GARDENS AND DESIGNED LANDSCAPES: A GUIDE FOR OWNERS, OCCUPIERS AND MANAGERS
52
5.4 Footways and pavements
There is a strong case for further investment to be made into Mid Street and the lanes to improve the public realm and replace substandard pavement surfaces.
Encourage unity within and appreciation of the conservation area by formulating a robust and quality palette of appropriate hard landscaping materials and methods, paying particular attention to local detailing, from which all future landscape development can stem, thus enhancing the character and appearance of the town.
Resist development that does not conform to an approved palette of material, methods and/or standard detailing. Consideration should be given to the preparation and implementation of a Design Code.
5.4.1 There has been an attempt to improve the public realm at Reidhaven Square, with some new, good quality paving and kerbs and the inclusion of limited street furniture. However, the conservation area as a whole remains tired and disjointed through the use of poor surfaces and detailing, and through piecemeal development. Apart from a few remaining, historic details within some of the lanes, the majority of the conservation area footways are largely utilitarian in nature comprising Council standard detailing and materials.
5.4.2 The historic road surfaces in the conservation area are well documented and have probably never been of a particularly high quality. Nonetheless, the current surfaces are degraded to such a degree that they have a negative effect on the street. Resurfacing in a manner more suited to a historic conservation area is recommended.
5.5 Street furniture
Consider investment in a suite of complementary street furniture to strengthen unity and to enhance the appearance of the conservation area. A more ornate or – in complete contrast - a contemporary style of furniture should be sought to be commensurate with the designation of the conservation area.
Consider the proposed further work to Reidhaven Square, including the demolition of the existing toilet block to open up the vista to St Thomas’s Church.
53
Consider the provision of seating, waste bins and dog bins within the renewed suite of furniture.
5.5.1 Street furniture within the conservation area is, in general, well-maintained and adequately provided for. There are some good quality examples to be found which enhance the character of the conservation area, however there are also of pieces of a more average nature which appear mismatched. It is recommended that a review of street furniture is undertaken and a more lucid approach considered.
THE INVENTORY OF GARDENS AND DESIGNED LANDSCAPES: A GUIDE FOR OWNERS, OCCUPIERS AND MANAGERS
5.6 Car parks
The pattern of losing gap sites in the lanes of the conservation area to car parking should be resisted. Encouragement should be given to establishing appropriate uses - for example, pocket parks or community gardens. Careful consideration should be given to suitable boundary treatments. All car parking areas (including privately owned areas) should be evaluated to determine whether additional space can be gained for enhancement through soft landscaping and tree planting.
Where car parking areas are underutilised, it is recommended that soft landscaping and tree planting is considered for which a robust maintenance plan should be established. Review all boundary treatments to public car parks and seek to enhance the character and appearance of the conservation area by making improvements to schemes which appear haphazard.
5.6.1 Public and private car parking within the conservation area is well provided for and makes use of the numerous open, unused spaces between buildings and boundaries. Unfortunately, there is little that is inspired about the present provision of public parking; in most cases where the edges are taken up with concrete set cobbles or open grass. Boundary treatments are typically mixed, with some in a deteriorating condition.
5.6.2 It is often the case that private car parking, as mentioned under 5.2 above, adopts gap sites and old disused, gardens.
54
5.7 Signage and interpretation
Repaint information signage to tidy up areas of peeling paint.
Consideration should be given to the retention, or replacement, of existing signage other than where historic.
5.7.1 The traditional enamelled individually-lettered signage of white letters on a black background has survived and appears in fairly good condition.
5.7.2 An early CARS project involved the designation of the lanes which were previously un-named. Heritage style signage has been erected in each lane which although is obviously in a contemporary material, mirrors the characteristics of the existing traditional signage.
5.7.3 Interpretation signage is in poor condition and looks dated. There are traditional ‘finger style’ signs at the north and south ends of Mid Street which are currently over-complicated and give incorrect and out-of-date information. In one case, additional signage for a new housing development has been attached, compounding the cluttered look. These signs should be made up to date or in some way re-imagined.
5.7.4 Interpretation panels feature in Reidhaven Square. These have not been maintained and are in poor condition. The information given in these panels looks dated and detracts from the overall street scene. Consideration should be given to the removal of these panels and more contemporary interpretation material being installed.
5.8 Night illumination
There are opportunities for enhancing the conservation area through the carefully considered illumination of buildings, monuments and public spaces, including the lanes. Floodlighting schemes should be considered for St Thomas’s and Reidhaven Square. Opportunities for illuminating the frontage and tower of the Institute at street level should be considered with the public realm improvements. This would act as a focal point, would be visible at a distance at night, and could discourage antisocial behaviour.
Encouragement should be given to property owners to ensure that the benefits of night illumination of shop displays, fascias and the facades of buildings are exploited.
5.8.1 There are no buildings in the conservation area which are illuminated at night. Landmark buildings such as the Institute and St Thomas’s as should be lit in fitting with their prominent stature in the street scene and to make the street more interesting.
55
5.9 Overhead wirescape and public utilities
Overhead wires are to be found in the lanes and the backlands behind Mid Street, more than would be expected to be found in a conservation area. Approaches should be made to the relevant public utility companies to ensure that cables are run underground, with the potential for these works to coincide with public realm improvements.
Discussions should be opened up with utility companies over coordinating works of improving infrastructure, or carrying out repairs, so as to have minimal impact on hard surfaces and to ensure that the finishes are reinstated without harm to the appearance of the conservation area.
It is recommended to adopt a coordinated approach to reducing the extensive damage to cables and other services, and other fixings, appearing on the facades of historic buildings, and in the lanes.
5.9.1 Keith suffers somewhat from a profusion of poles and overhead wires leading to individual properties. It would be preferable for these services to be run underground. These antiquated arrangements have a detrimental effect on the character and appearance of the conservation area.
5.9.2 Pavements and the surfaces of the lanes suffer from services trenches having been dug by public utility companies, often disturbing the paved surfaces where materials have not been reinstated and resulting in visual disharmony. An integrated approach would be recommended to overcome the problem.
5.9.3 The facades of the town's buildings are littered with the evidence of cables, junction boxes and sundry fixings for housing floral displays and for supporting banners and bunting; taken collectively, these fixtures, especially when not in use, have a marked detrimental effect on the conservation area.
56
5.10 Litter in public places
The accumulation of litter is not a problem over the majority of the conservation area. Where localised instances do occur, a more thorough litter picking regime may be required; some of this effort will rely on volunteers.
5.10.1 The conservation area, on the whole is tidy with only a little evidence of litter. Rubbish bins are well used.
5.10.2 The few instances of litter evident mainly occur in the narrow spaces between some buildings on Mid Street. These are difficult to access for removal of litter, causing a build up over time.
57
6 Development within the conservation area
6.1 Opportunities for regeneration
6.1.1 Historic towns of the size of Keith are vulnerable to commercial pressures and must adapt in response to a volatile economy if they are to survive and prosper. The greatest risks to the conservation area in this regard are perceived to affect the long term health of the town centre and while, on the one hand, it must continue to offer an attractive environment in which to live and work, it cannot be allowed to stagnate. With redevelopment of a historic town centre come risks, unless policies are put in place to encourage the redevelopment and enhancement of the buildings and public realm within the conservation area. Without these policies being in place there is a perceived risk that commercial activity will drift away from the town centre.
6.1.2 The Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) which ran from 2012-2016 looked to address these issues through the repair of the traditional built environment and a program of awareness- raising and training schemes to highlight the importance of such to the local population. This scheme resulted in a number of disused and underused properties being brought back into productive reuse, including a significant number of empty shops on Mid Street. Regeneration efforts proved to be quite fruitful according to data taken from the town centre health check, with Mid Street now one of the busiest shopping streets in Moray. This momentum should not be lost so further engagement with the community around these issues is highly recommended.
6.1.3 In the Conservation Area Appraisal and Action Plan it is recognised that the lanes are potentially one of the town's greatest assets – active shop frontages on Mid Street are to a certain extent interdependent with the lanes, relying on them remaining in active use and providing attractive environments for business and residential use. The lanes are important for providing permeability through the street blocks from the other parts of the town and from the peripheral car parks. Several areas were identified where these links are failing, or are not used to best advantage
6.1.4 Other than by demolishing intrusive modern buildings in the conservation area – which in some cases may not be a realistic option – there are relatively few opportunities for redevelopment, unless expansion into the lanes is possible with the aim of revitalising them.
6.1.5 Keith does not suffer as much as other towns from having vacant upper floors of buildings above commercial premises. There are, however, a few instances of this occurring and every effort should be made to bring them back into use. It is important to ensure that Mid Street does not follow the trend of vacant upper floors that plagues many other town centres.
6.1.6 Greater potential for redevelopment exists within the lanes where a number of gap sites were observed. Modern buildings of little merit were observed which were either redundant, or substantially underused. In some of the lanes redevelopment of sites has been tentative and the full potential has not always been realised. Unattractive garages and stores too often proliferate on the edges of streets or the prominent boundaries of the car parks, and development opportunities which have the potential to enhance the conservation area were observed here.
58
6.2 Archaeology
6.2.1 The ever-increasing knowledge base of developments in historic towns and the impact on archaeology does mean that liaison with the Council’s appointed archaeological adviser regarding the archaeological implications of change is imperative, as advised in PAN 2/2011 and Historic Scotland’s Technical Advice Note (TAN) 27 Development and Archaeology in Historic Towns and Cities. The consequences of proposed developments may range from desk-based assessments and recording of standing buildings to invasive work in advance of, or during, building works.
6.2.2 Opportunities to add to the current knowledge of the archaeological resource within the conservation area should be taken, irrespective of whether development is being considered. These opportunities are considered to exist with foreland properties on the town's Mid Street and in the lanes.
6.3 Degraded sites and buildings: Buildings at Risk
As of the publication of this document, all buildings featured on the Buildings at Risk register as mentioned in the Conservation Area Appraisal and Action plan (Section 4.2.7) have subsequently been moved to ‘Restoration in Progress’ and are expected to be removed from the list shortly. However, there are currently a small number of disused and boarded up buildings in the conservation area that perhaps merit inclusion on the register. Buildings at risk which are in considerable disrepair, or boarded up, have a marked negative impact on the character and appearance of the conservation area. Moreover, they can detract from the efforts of other property owners in seeking to enhance their properties. They are also one of the clearest indicators of the health of the local economy. While there are always challenges imposed by the appearance of redundant buildings within the streetscape, empty shop units can have a particularly harmful effect on public perceptions of the health of a successful and active retail centre.
6.3.1 It is acknowledged that lists of redundant buildings at risk will vary from time to time as buildings may be declared surplus to requirements due to a changing economic climate, or from other factors such as a change in ownership, from a business relocating to elsewhere, or even from a parish reappraisal when ecclesiastical buildings may be declared redundant to the purposes of worship. Buildings may be taken off the Buildings at Risk Register when redevelopment proposals get underway for any individual building or a site involving a group of properties. It will be incumbent upon the Council to monitor the lists on a regular basis, and establish effective measures to encourage repair of historic buildings and their refurbishment where this may be appropriate. As mentioned in section 1.33, there are currently a number of redundant buildings in the conservation area which probably merit inclusion on the BAR register.
6.3.2 Certain buildings may prove difficult to secure compatible uses on account of their architectural importance, condition, building type, size, or location, or due to other factors. In cases where redevelopment may not be possible commercially, consideration may be given to encouraging feasibility studies to be carried out with the benefit of public funding, to look at a range of possible options for buildings or sites of high architectural or historic importance. In such cases the assistance of a building preservation trust (BPT) may be sought.
59
6.4 Demolition and rebuilding
6.4.1 There will be a presumption against the demolition of buildings within the conservation area where they make a neutral, or positive, contribution to the historic townscape, whether or not the building is listed. For unlisted buildings, for the case for demolition to be made, it will need to be demonstrated that the structure has a negative impact on the character and appearance of the conservation area. Conservation Area Consent will be required for the demolition of any building within the conservation area boundary.
6.4.2 The demolition of buildings in conservation areas and the design of replacement buildings is strictly controlled and will be governed by the tests set out in clauses 3.58-3.60 of Scottish Historic Environment Policy (December 2011). Further guidance is set out in the Managing Change in the Historic Environment: Demolition leaflet (2010).
6.4.3 Conservation Area Consent for the demolition of any structure within the conservation area will not be granted in isolation of considering the extent to which the replacement scheme has the potential to preserve or enhance the character and appearance of the conservation area. Design guidance set out in Section 7 should be taken into account when considering the appropriateness of any replacement building. The demolition of an unlisted building within the conservation area should, in addition, comply with Policy BE3: Conservation Areas of the Moray Local Development Plan 2015.
6.4.4 The demolition of a listed building, or part of a listed building, within the conservation area will be subject to satisfying one, or more, of the tests set out in clause 3.44 of the Scottish Historic Environment Policy (December 2011). Further guidance is given in the Managing Change in the Historic Environment: Demolition leaflet (2010). The case for the demolition of a listed building must also comply with Policy BE2: Listed Buildings of the Moray Local Development Plan 2015.
6.5 Extensions to buildings
6.5.1 Extensions to buildings, and in particular to dwelling houses in the lanes of the conservation area, will be likely to be governed by the constraints of the linear feuing patterns of the historic burgage plots. They may be visible from a distance and, if carried out insensitively, they can have a detrimental impact on the surrounding buildings and on the wider conservation area.
6.5.2 There will be a presumption against the building of porches, conservatories or sunrooms to the facades of buildings unless historical evidence can be established that a similar structure had existed in the past, and that the proposal will be restoring historic precedent.
6.5.3 Extensions to existing properties should be subservient in scale and in volume to the original structure. Where extensions are proposed to the gable of a property, the roof ridge should not be greater in height than the main roof ridge and the symmetry of the principal façade, where appropriate, should always be observed. Wherever possible, extensions should be confined to the rear of properties for which there should be no relaxation of the design standards. The impact of an extension on the wider conservation area should always be taken into account.
6.5.4 Guidance set out in the leaflet Managing Change in the Historic Environment: Extensions (2010) should be observed.
6.5.5 There will be a presumption against the introduction of attic box dormer roof extensions, whether flat-roofed or Mansard in profile. This presumption applies equally to box dormers built directly off wallheads, those set back further from the edge of the roof, or box dormers derived from infilling the space between original dormers on the roof.
6.5.6 The design of extensions and the selection of materials for extensions to buildings should follow the general guidance set out in Sections 7.2 and 7.3.
60
6.6 Satellite dishes, aerials and surface wiring
6.6.1 Without careful siting, satellite dishes are intrusive elements within the streetscape and their fixings and associated surface cabling can be damaging to the fabric of historic buildings. They can be particularly damaging when large numbers of these fixtures appear on the same elevation where houses may be in multiple occupancy. There will be a presumption against them being seen on any elevation visible from public streets or from within the lanes, including gables and chimneyheads.
6.6.2 Radio or television aerials, taken collectively with the associated brackets, poles and surface wiring, can have a disruptive effect on the character and appearance of the conservation area. They can also cause damage to the chimneyheads to which they may be fixed. Wherever possible, they should be mounted within roofspaces of buildings, or in locations where they will not be visible from public streets or lanes.
6.6.3 Much of the surface wiring seen on property frontages within the conservation area relates to telecommunications equipment, some of which is redundant. Redundant wiring should always be removed, and wiring to new installations should be routed indoors rather than appearing on the frontages of properties.
6.6.4 Further guidance is given in Managing Change in the Historic Environment: External fixtures (2010) leaflet. Policy BE3: Conservation Areas of the Moray Local Plan 2008 also sets out requirements to be complied with.
6.7 Building services
6.7.1 Modern developments undertaken in the conservation area have demonstrated that it is possible to disguise air handling plant and air conditioning units in such a way that the equipment is not visible from ground level. Often air conditioning units can be mounted within the reverse slopes of roofs where they will not be visible, and the impact of a heat exchanger within the entrance to a pend will be less than if it were to be fixed to the surface of the building. These issues can, however, be more difficult to resolve with older buildings. Where heat exchanger units appear on external walls, or where air extractor units have been fitted to the sashes of windows, the visual impact is
61
always high. The appearance of pitched roofs can be damaged by poorly sited extractor fan terminals, especially where commercial in scale and oversized.
6.7.2 Where positioned within the roofscape to comply with the requirement not to be visible from ground level, consideration should always be given to the extent to which building services installations may be visible from higher vantage points to which the public may have access.
6.7.3 Efforts should be made to route flues for mechanical extractor fans through redundant masonry flues to terminate at chimneyheads, provided this does not result in the loss of historic chimney cans. There will be a presumption against mounting extractor fans or terminals within the sashes of windows or on external walls.
6.7.4 Flue exhausts associated with restaurant or fast food preparation should be positioned so as to have minimal impact on the character and appearance of the conservation area. Efforts should be made to mitigate their impact by avoiding the use of highly reflective metal ducting, or by disguising the colour of the flue by painting it out. Once installed the flue system should be maintained and noxious emissions avoided.
6.8 Security equipment and sounders
6.8.1 Security alarm sounders may require to be positioned where they are obvious to intruders as a deterrent to entering the premises, and for surveillance in identifying the possibility of forced entry. Invariably the boxes are brightly coloured, and positioned without regard to the architectural features of the building. Redundant alarm boxes are unsightly and should always be removed.
6.8.2 There are numerous examples of badly sited security alarm boxes in the conservation area. Consideration should always be given to mounting security alarms on elevations other than the principal street elevation where this is possible, or on overhanging eaves. If this is not possible the unit should be mounted having regard to the architectural features of the façade, for instance, centred on gables at high level or aligned with shop fascia boards. Units should be restrained in appearance and should not be brightly coloured. Wiring or conduits for cables should never be visible.
6.8.3 Care should always be taken over the siting of security cameras, lights or other equipment. These features should never be prominent within the streetscape. Projecting brackets should be simple in design. As for security alarms, all surface wiring should be avoided.
6.8.4 Further guidance is given in Managing Change in the Historic Environment: External fixtures (2010) leaflet.
62
6.9 Sundry fixings
6.9.1 All fittings and fixtures referred to in the above categories should be positioned to minimise permanent damage being caused to the fabric of buildings throughout the conservation area. Walls of sandstone ashlar are particularly vulnerable to damage from being punctuated by fixing holes which are revealed after the fixture has been removed. Consideration should always be given to selecting masonry joints for fixings where this may be appropriate.
6.9.2 Fixtures should never be fixed permanently to walling throughout the conservation area other than by stainless steel or non-ferrous fixings. Where iron fixings are left embedded in masonry, they should always be drilled out and the hole patch repaired or indented to avoid the risk of rust expansion damaging the masonry in the longer term.
6.9.3 Further guidance is given in Managing Change in the Historic Environment: External fixtures (2010) leaflet.
6.10 Micro-renewables and solar panels
6.10.1 Not unlike satellite dishes (6.6 above) a profusion of visible micro-renewable installations in the form of wind turbines will have a harmful effect on the character and appearance of the conservation area. To be cost-effective and efficient in operation freestanding wind turbines will be highly visible and incapable of being disguised, and will be likely to have an impact on the setting of individual buildings as well as the wider conservation area. In general there will be a presumption against the approval of building- mounted and freestanding wind turbines.
6.10.2 With careful siting behind parapets or within the valleys of roofs, and when used sparingly, solar or photovoltaic panels can be acceptable and not necessarily harm the character and appearance of the conservation area. Multiple assemblies of reflective panels covering large surface areas of roofs are unlikely to be acceptable anywhere within the conservation area. Other than on the principal street facades, in certain circumstances the use of roof mounted panels used individually, or of small scale, may be deemed appropriate provided that, when siting them, consideration should be given always to the extent to which these features may be visible from higher vantage points to which the public has access in the conservation area, or from other properties.
6.10.3 Further guidance is given in the leaflets in the Managing Change in the Historic Environment (2010) series for Roofs and Micro-renewables.
63
7 Design standards
7.1 Overview
7.1.1 In acknowledging the damage caused to the character and appearance of the conservation area from poorly designed development of the late twentieth century, the Council will seek to encourage the highest standards of design for new buildings and the public realm, in line with Scottish Government policy. The objective will be to ensure that proposed development causes no harm to the conservation area and, moreover, that it should enhance it.
7.1.2 Where the demolition of any historic building, or buildings, within the conservation area may be proposed, and is deemed appropriate in principle (see 6.4), the Council will seek to ensure that the replacement building, or buildings, will be of a higher standard than the structures being replaced. Accordingly designs for replacement buildings will be expected to make a positive contribution to the historic townscape and restore any values that may have been damaged by poor development in the past.
7.2 Design guidance
7.2.1 The Council will encourage the appointment of agents with the appropriate conservation, architectural and urban design skills to interpret and apply the design guidance to development projects within the conservation area.
7.2.2 Reference should be made to the Conservation Area Appraisal and Action Plan, in which those architectural features making a positive contribution to the historic townscape of Keith are identified as a potential source for inspiring contemporary designers in the preparation of contextual designs for new buildings in the conservation area. For the design of new buildings it should always be borne in mind that the overriding requirement is to preserve the character and appearance of the conservation area, and its setting.
7.2.3 The advisory guidelines set down in Section 4 of this document should also be referred to, in order to avoid replication of elements of construction or materials considered to have been damaging to the appearance of the conservation area in the past.
7.2.4 A pastiche of features of past historic architectural styles should be avoided so as not to confuse, or devalue history. External wall construction should be appropriate for the use of architectural detail. For example, it is difficult to make skews look convincing when they are used in conjunction with timber frame construction, and they should never be of a width less than that used traditionally. Equally, chimneyheads should always be of solid masonry construction and of traditional width. Chimneyheads of the same width as the skews never appear satisfactory. Gables in the conservation area tend to look better with chimneyheads where it appropriate to accommodate them, but the functional purpose of a building should never be falsified through design.
7.2.5 Scale is an important element of architectural design, and may vary for different locations within the conservation area. A good example of this is the Institute at the heart of the town centre. It is primarily a structure of two tall storeys with a tower that soars to a greater number of equivalent storeys, and its height and scale can be compared with the equivalent of three domestic storeys when viewed from Mid Street. As a public building it displays a scale that is appropriate for its civic function.
64
7.2.6 As Mid Street evolved though the late nineteenth century and single story cottages were replaced by densely-packed larger and grander buildings, the street began to seem somewhat narrow in comparison to how it was laid out originally. The narrow street combined with the scale of these large buildings does give an impressive air to the conservation area. Conversely, although the buildings in Reidhaven Square are of a similar size and scale, they appear to be much smaller than those on Mid Street due to the large open space they stand in.
7.2.7 The scale of buildings on Mid Street tends to vary according to the age of the property, creating a diverse townscape. Thus the lowest of the properties appearing in the range corresponds to the mid eighteenth century, and is very domestic in scale. The scale of buildings changes noticeably from south to north, as buildings generally become grander as we travel north along Mid Street. The greatest change in scale occurs at 121-123 Mid Street, where a very early surviving single- story cottage lies next to an imposing three story building and directly opposite the landmark four story Commercial Hotel. While this change is abrupt, it adds to the interest of the townscape.
7.2.8 As with other historic burghs planned on grid-iron layouts, ‘New’ Keith consists of principal streets with development laid out at right angles to them along the burgage plots. The buildings fronting Mid Street are invariably of a greater scale and height than those within the lanes. Historically, being the more important buildings, they will normally have taller floor to ceiling heights for architectural reasons, and in order to accommodate enhanced retail activity on the ground floor. Shops of the late nineteenth century invariably introduced a greater sense of enhanced scale at
65
street level. In any new development within the lanes a sense of descending scale should always be acknowledged in the design of new buildings, or in any extension proposed to an existing building.
7.2.9 New development should recognise that the established urban grain of the town centre reflects the Victorian grid-iron layout. Due attention should be given to the linearity of the terraces of buildings laid out along the street frontages, or on the lanes which tend to follow the line of the old burgage plots. Within the lanes the narrow gable widths and heights, which will often reflect the descending scale referred to above, should be reflected in the design for any new development. Roof pitches of traditional buildings would be rarely outside the range of between 40 and 45°, except in the case of buildings pre-dating the early eighteenth century in which case they often be steeper. It is rarely satisfactory for buildings to straddle the width of burgage plots, and be given wider gables than would be the norm.
7.2.10 Overall increases in density, height and scale are unlikely to be appropriate for sites where these characteristics within the existing historic townscape are less than those being proposed.
7.2.11 The rhythm of existing street frontages should always be observed, in terms of established plot widths, and the punctuation of wall surfaces which may vary between ground and the upper floors depending on differing functional uses. Rarely are traditional openings within walls other than vertically proportioned, acknowledging the limitations of traditional materials (for instance, the
66
span of stone lintols). Where horizontality is adopted, or ‘picture windows’ installed, the rhythm of the street is invariably disrupted. Good design acknowledges that the proportion of the openings is not the only consideration – the numbers of openings and their positions within the elevation is a matter of importance in terms of the overall proportions. Designers and builders achieved this intuitively in the past.
7.2.12 The subdivision of wall openings is also of importance for maintaining the character of the conservation area; rarely in the past were large, unsubdivided panes of glass used for a single window opening due to technological restraints, aesthetic preferences, and the need to provide effective ventilation. Where panes are subdivided, inspiration may be found from the past in terms of proportions and appearance, but horizontal proportions are usually best avoided. Astragals should not be applied to the surface of the glass as ‘mock’ astragals as they never look convincing, may not always adhere to the glass, and give a different appearance to where the glass panes themselves are subdivided.
7.2.13 Inspiration may be found from studying how buildings which make a strong contribution to the townscape were embellished in the past by decorative features such as finials or string courses to break up large unrelieved areas of walling.
7.2.14 Dormers introduced to provide additional interest in the roofscape should be carefully designed and detailed from an understanding of historical precedent. Modern dormer windows are often detailed clumsily, and can detract considerably from the character and appearance of the conservation area.
7.2.15 For buildings in the conservation area there will be a presumption against the use of timber eaves boards or bargeboards for main roofs in the design of new buildings.
7.2.16 New building within the residential zones of the conservation area should observe the above general principles, but particular regard should be given to the setting of the development in relation to the surrounding properties, the plot of land to which the proposal relates, and to established boundaries, including trees. Particular care will require to be given to boundary treatments which should reflect the character and appearance of the character zone. Existing boundaries should not be eroded in order to satisfy off-street parking or vehicular access.
7.3 Materials for new developments, or extensions to existing structures
7.3.1 There will be a general presumption in favour of external walls being finished in the following materials throughout the conservation area:
67
Natural stone, with coursing, colour, texture and pointing to reflect traditional examples within the conservation area and their location Lime ashlared renders, for limewashing or oil painting Traditional wet harling or roughcast, for painting or limewashing as appropriate, but only within the lanes, and subject to the approval of samples Smooth render for painting – the use of self-coloured modern proprietary renders may be considered appropriate, but only within the lanes, and subject to approval of samples
Brick should be used sparingly, and only in situations which will not be prominent when viewed from within the conservation area.
7.3.2 It should be noted that finishes proposed for external walls should take into account the location of the development site within the conservation area. Types of finishes may vary according to the character zone – for instance, in the central character zone the frontages of the buildings on Mid Street will have a greater proportion of sandstone ashlar walls compared with the other character zones.
7.3.3 There will be a presumption against the use of modern drydash finishes of any type throughout the conservation area. Timber panelling should be confined to use as wall linings and should not be the predominant finish in any elevation. There will be a further presumption against the introduction of materials and techniques of building which are alien to the conservation area, for which there is no established precedent in this part of Moray.
7.3.4 Normally pitched roof finishes should be of blue/black natural slate; the specification of new slate as opposed to salvaged slate is encouraged for new developments so as to preserve stocks of salvaged material for old roofs. Imported slate must be selected with great care, and should match the traditional roofs of the conservation area in terms of texture, colour, coursing and general appearance. It is not uncommon to see slate roofs which appear alien within the conservation area from being too black, or too shiny.
7.3.5 Concrete tile ridges and hips as components of proprietary roofing systems will not be permitted, and there will be a presumption against the use of black clay ridge tiles. In those parts of the conservation area where these elements appear, eaves boards and bargeboards should be of durable timber for painting – uPVC or other proprietary maintenance-free cladding systems will not be permitted.
7.3.6 Where for reasons of architectural design low pitched or flat roofed finishes may be appropriate, because of the pitch being unsuited to slate, roof finishes should be of traditionally detailed lead, or of terne-coated stainless steel. There will be a presumption against highly reflective aluminium or proprietary standing seam systems, polymer, GRP or other high performance roofing felts or coatings where these finishes may be visible from street level throughout the conservation area.
7.3.7 Windows and doors should normally be of timber for painting and should be purpose-designed for the conservation area; there will be a presumption against the use of uPVC windows or doors, or mock timber units of the same, or similar, materials.
7.3.8 Colour in the conservation area should be used sparingly and have regard always to historical precedent.
7.3.9 Rainwater goods should be durable, generally of cast-iron for painting. There will be a presumption against the use of uPVC or GRP rainwater goods for new development in the conservation area. New shopfronts should respect historical precedent (see 4.33 and 4.34). There will be a presumption against the use of proprietary aluminium shopfront systems in the conservation area.
68
7.4 Supplementary information
7.4.1 Proposals that involve the infilling of gap sites, or the demolition of structures and replacement with new buildings, will be expected to show in the documentation accompanying the application the development site in its context within the wider conservation area. In order to meet this requirement models or other three-dimensional media, including computer generated images (CGIs) will be encouraged.
7.4.2 There will be an expectation that the development site should be shown in relation to the whole of the street elevation. Applications for developments on corner sites should be shown in the context of the impact on each of the street corners, and on the adjoining street elevations. Where proposed development affects the larger part of any street elevation, there will be an expectation that street elevations for the adjoining blocks within the street block will also be shown to assess the impact of the proposals on the character and appearance of the wider conservation area or, in appropriate cases, on its setting.
69
8 Planning controls
8.1 General Permitted Development Order (Scotland)
8.1.1 The Council recognises the importance of managing change, and in particular alterations and extensions to unlisted buildings within a conservation area. Within the Mid Street conservation area it is proposed that similar controls should apply as for listed buildings. The historic fabric that survives in the town results in high quality townscape aspects, and the guidance and recommendations set out in Section 4 of this document to preserve this significance will be promoted as setting standards for good conservation and repair practice.
8.1.2 Accordingly the Council, after having adopted the Conservation Area Management Plan, will give consideration to instructions set out in section 2B in relation to permitted development under the General Permitted Development (Scotland) Order 2012.
8.2 Planning measures and enforcement
8.2.1 In pursuit of the aims to preserve and enhance the Mid Street conservation area the Council, as the planning authority, will be committed to the issuing of planning enforcement notices in cases of unauthorised development for the demolition, or partial demolition, of a building within the conservation area, or for its alteration or extension in ways that affects its character.
8.2.2 The Council will be committed to monitoring the condition of the historic fabric of buildings within the conservation area. Where a property is in poor condition and considered to be at risk, consideration will be given to issuing a building repairs notice under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997. This action will be adopted where there are early indications of decay in the interests of securing the future of the building and long term uses for its survival, and when costs of undertaking effective repair will be relatively inexpensive.
8.2.3 In the case of a property where the condition is considered to be deteriorating rapidly, and to be at risk, for levels of intervention which may involve temporary support and protection, or by carrying out emergency repairs, an Urgent Repairs Notice will be instructed. If not acted upon within the statutory timescales, work will be undertaken by the Council and the cost of such repairs may be recovered from the owner of the property. Before taking this action the Council will undertake to consult with the owner of the property. A repairs notice may be withdrawn at any time.
8.2.4 Where the conditions of a building repairs notice have not been observed, the Council will seek the approval of Scottish Government to acquire the property by Compulsory Purchase Order. The subjects for acquisition may include neighbouring land for the amenity of the building and for access to it for its protection and future management.
70
9 Implementation and review
9.1 Preamble
9.1.1 Clear recommendations were set out in Section 7 of the Conservation Area Appraisal and Action Plan for monitoring and reviewing proposed action, and on the need to engage with key stakeholders and with the wider community in Keith. Actions in the past have not always been taken in the interests of preserving and enhancing the character and appearance of the conservation area. Latterly standards in the repair of historic buildings, and in the design of new development, have left much to be desired and damage has been caused, however unintentionally.
9.1.2 Suggested performance indicators for the, at the time, proposed CARS were set out in the Character Appraisal and Action Plan (Section 7.1). For ease of reference they are repeated here:
Number of ‘priority projects’ completed within the 5-year project A decrease in the number of Buildings at Risk in the conservation area Number of ‘small grants’ issued and the projects completed The number of people a year attending skills training courses. The number of those people a year going onto positive destinations (employment/further education) The number of people who take part in awareness raising workshops
In addition, it was recommended that the Moray Council should ascertain whether the CARS had an effect on Keith economy including whether there has been:
A decrease in the commercial vacancy rates A decrease in residential vacancy rates An increase in footfall in the area
9.1.3 For effective monitoring to take place the need to embark upon preliminary surveys in order to establish reliable baseline data was recognised, and is endorsed in this document.
9.1.4 The future of the conservation area cannot be reliant upon actions being taken by the Council alone. The success of the CARS proves that attempting to manage change in a positive way, rather than reacting to it, has been a far more satisfactory approach. Despite the guidelines set down in successive Local Plans and national guidance on managing change within conservation areas, damage to the character and appearance of the Mid Street Conservation Area has continued through the incremental erosion of the qualities for which the area had been designated. Without effective controls being put in place a distinct loss of authenticity of historic fabric becomes a real possibility. The Conservation Area Management Plan, once adopted, will continue the agenda for change started with the CARS, but this can only be possible with the continued willing support of owners of historic buildings within the conservation area.
9.1.5 If necessary, a monitoring group should be set up to work with the Council in meeting its objectives. If set up, this could include local representatives and specialist advisors to assist the Council’s officers over the implementation of the Conservation Area Management Plan.
71
9.2 Communications and conservation awareness
9.2.1 The buildings of the Mid Street Conservation Area suffer from a number of problems in common, highlighted in both this document and in the Conservation Area Appraisal and Action Plan. Whilst the CARS was running, the dedicated officer was available alongside the conservation officer to provide advice on the repair of historic buildings with the support of Historic Scotland. This service was of considerable help in raising standards throughout the conservation area and in giving assistance over routes to repairs and improvements. Going forward it would be of great benefit to promote early pre-application advice from relevant council departments when repairs, upgrades or changes are being considered.
INFORM guides published by Historic Scotland
9.2.2 Close contact with property owners in the conservation area proved to be beneficial, especially in conjunction with targeted leaflet drops which proved to be an effective method of raising awareness. The CARS officer had a supply of Historic Scotland Inform Guides which were freely and easily distributed to those who registered any sort of interest in the scheme to give them an idea of the issues their property was suffering. In doing so, building owners had a better idea of appropriate repair methods and in some cases were able to identify suitable and unsuitable craftspeople at an early stage. Conservation awareness was also created through conducting workshops on the maintenance of historic buildings, or from seminars related to individual topics, for instance, on the subject of traditional shopfronts. It is recommended that this type of event be held on a regular basis so that the interest that was created through the CARS is not lost.
9.3 Skills training in conservation
A requirement from Historic Scotland at the outset of the CARS was that a programme for conservation awareness should run for property owners to be matched by a programme for improving skills for those working on historic buildings. This suite of courses ran throughout the scheme providing training on individual specialised subjects in bespoke classes tailored individually for both craftspeople, tradesmen & conservation professional and separately in the form of evening talks and workshops for building owners. This program of training proved invaluable particularly in providing targeted helpful advice on the procurement of specialised materials, such as building limes, castings for rainwater systems, matching clay chimney cans or on the selection of building stones appropriate to the conservation area. Given the excellent attendance of these training courses and the overwhelmingly positive feedback they received, it is highly recommended that these be followed up with refresher courses in the future.
9.4 Extension of the conservation area
9.4.1 Recommendations are set out in the Conservation Area Appraisal and Action Plan for the extension of the conservation area as it is presently designated. This is a matter that should be considered in the future and will need further public consultation before any decision can be made.
72
9.5 Review: arrangements within the Moray Council
9.5.1 Review of the Conservation Area Appraisal and Action Plan and the Conservation Area Management Plan respectively, should be instigated in the first instance by the managers of the committees listed in the following clause (or their equivalent in any new administration). It should take into account feedback from the conservation area monitoring group referred to in 9.1.5 above, and an evaluation of agreed performance indicators as set out in 9.1.2 and such other relevant indicators as the group may decide.
9.5.2 Recommendations following any review should be considered by the Planning and Regulatory Services Committee, and by the Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee of the Council, or their equivalents, at the time when the review is carried out.
9.6 Frequency of review
9.6.1 In accordance with good governance the Conservation Area Appraisal and Action Plan and the Conservation Area Management Plan should be reviewed on a regular basis. It is suggested that this should be quinquennially, or timed to suit the preparation of a new Local Plan, or any change in historic environment legislation, to ensure that the advice contained therein remains relevant.
73
Appendix
Glossary of terms
Glossary of architectural and building terms
AGGLOMERATE Building stone composed of smaller stones such as pebbles bound with a sand matrix and fused together by volcanic activity
AGGREGATE Pebbles or sand used in mortars or concrete mixes as a binder
ANNULET Horizontal rings around a column shaft
ANODISED Treatment to aluminium frame members to improve weathering; allows the introduction of colour
ARCHITRAVE Moulded surround to an opening or recess based on classical architecture
ARMORIAL PANELS Decorative panel of carved stonework, often carrying the arms or insignia of the institution, family or families, and also monograms and dates
ASHLAR Fine rubbed sandstone or other stone to provide walling of great precision
ASHLARED RENDER Smooth render finish to masonry, with pointing lines added to resemble finished stonework
ASTRAGAL Wooden glazing bar between window frames, usually moulded on the inner face
BACKLANDS Land behind 'foreland' properties, set out on the pattern of the Victorian grid-iron plots – may refer to ground occupied by buildings or undeveloped land
BALUSTERS Shaped posts of timber or stone at regular intervals supporting a handrail
BARGEBOARD The end board of a roof occurring at gables, normally overhanging the wall
BEADED PANELLING Panels, often in doors or window shutters, with a fine applied moulding inset from the framing moulding to emphasise the design
BOLECTION Applied moulding to a wooden panelled door, projecting beyond the surface
BOOTSCRAPER Iron bar, often found within a masonry recess at the principal entry into a dwelling or tenement
BOSS Knob, or projection, which may appear on a string course of a wall, or in a vault at the point where ribs intersect
BOW An arched opening
BOX DORMER A large continuous flat-roofed dormer, often built directly off the wallhead to give height to attic rooms
BRATTISHING Decorative metalwork, normally of cast-iron, found at roof ridges, parapets, bay windows or porches at wallheads
BURGAGE PLOTS Long strips of land defined at the time of setting out the medieval layout of a historic burgh for accommodating phased development to the rear of a property on a Principal street
CASEMENT Side, or top-hung window
74
CAST-IRON Brittle metal formed into complex mouldings by casting on sand beds
CAT-SLIDE Describing the sloping roof of a dormer which is built into the roof, set at a slightly lower pitch than the main roof
CAVETTO A hollow moulding, with its moulding a quadrant of a circle, used principally in cornices and early 19th century chimney copes#
CEMENT Used in building mortars to achieve a rapid set; from the mid-19th century the term normally relates to Portland cement which gradually replaced lime as the set is faster and has greater initial strength
CHAMFERRED Angled surface, often appearing around wall openings to provide a more elegant margin
CHERRY COCKING From 'caulking': a decorative treatment given to mortar joints consisting of small stones laid within the pointing to the wall, normally for better class work
CHIMNEY CAN The clay pot at the head of the chimney
CHIMNEYHEAD Masonry structure for carrying flue gases from internal fireplaces
CILL Horizontal piece of stone or timber at the base of a wall opening
CLAY RIDGE TILES Fired red or yellow clay formed into profiles for roof ridges or hips; later examples will often have a black surface treatment
CLOURED Masonry hammer-dressed back to a plain surface
CONCRETE Building material set within timber moulds or shutters, of Portland cement and aggregates of sand and pebbles, reinforced with steel bars or mesh
CONSERVATION All of the processes of looking after a site or building so as to retain its cultural significance
CONSERVATOR Highly trained and skilled craftsperson with expert knowledge of the conservation of works of art; in historic buildings the skills may relate to sculpture, carved architectural detail, ceramic tiles, or decorative and stained glass
CONSOLE (BRACKET) Decorative bracket supporting a cornice or entablature, often appears on shop fascias to support the cornice and box for the awning
CONTOUR SCALING The loss of the face of building stones from weathering, caused by weaknesses within the sedimentary beds, exposing layers of the underlying material on the surface
COPE Flat, or moulded stone or concrete at the head of a wall or chimneyhead
CORBEL Projecting stone supporting walling or a beam
CROCKET Decorative leaf pattern moulding applied to vertical features such as pinnacles or spires
CROWN GLASS Glass blown into large circular discs and cut into panes
CROWSTEPS Stepped stones at a gable wallhead
DELAMINATION A tendency for sandstone to weather along its natural bedding planes
DORMER Window projecting above the roof slope or wallhead
75
DOUBLE MARGIN Usually found in doors of 2 middle stiles separated by a parting bead
DOUBLE PILE Appearing mainly from the early eighteenth century onwards, a plan form of two rooms in depth sometimes resulting in two gables of identical appearance at each of the side elevations of the building
DROVED Chiselled ashlar, finished in fine lines which may be vertical, horizontal, or angled
DRY DASH Cement rendered finish to walling, to which small pebbles or aggregate may be thrown to form a coloured or decorative finish
DRYSTANE Walling constructed of rubble stone without mortar
DUTCH GABLE Gable with a decorative profile of curved sides
DYKE Stone boundary wall, often of drystane construction (see above)
EAVES The head of a wall
EAVES BOARD Projecting board at wallheads, usually of timber
ENCAUSTIC (TILES) Decorative floor tiles, popular in Victorian times, achieved by colouring, glazing and setting by heat
ENTABLATURE From classical architecture, the moulded cornice and frieze above columns or pilasters
FANLIGHT Glazed panel above a door
FASCIA Horizontal panel, normally of timber, applied to wall surfaces for receiving shop names; early examples were often painted stone string courses
FIELDED Panel in a door or in wall panelling raised to be flush with the rails and stiles
FINIAL Decorative feature terminating of the head of a wall, gable or spire
FORELAND Property occupying the head of a burgage plot, fronting a principal street of a historic burgh
FRETWORK Open decorative carving to bargeboards
GABLE The end wall of a building; may also appear on the front walls of buildings (see tympan gables); a small gable at a wallhead is known as a GABLET.
GRANITE Hard, metamorphic rock, normally grey or pink in colour
GRP Abbreviation for Glass Reinforced Plastic, a material capable of being moulded into profiles
HAFFIT Vertical panel, for instance of a dormer window
HAMMER-DRESSED Dressed stone with a roughened finish applied by hammer in the stone quarry
HARLING Traditional method of coating walls applied in layers to finish surfaces and repel water; originally of lime but, from the 20th century, increasingly cement-based, finished normally with aggregate applied wet before the surface has set and to give a roughened appearance
HIPPED Angled roof pitch
76
HOLDERBATT Bracket for fixing cast-iron downpipes
HOOD MOULDING Decorative moulding above windows or doors
HORNS Appearing late 19th century, extension of the upper stiles of sash windows to strengthen joints with the introduction of larger panes of glass
HYDRAULIC LIME Term used for a naturally occurring building lime with inherent strength once carbonated; the term 'hydraulicity' refers to its ability to achieve an early set
JAMB The side of a window or door opening in a wall
JETTIED STOREY A storey of timber construction projecting over the face of the wall below
LIME MORTAR Mortar based on lime and mixed with aggregate, for which the lime provides the hydraulic set
LIMEWASH The application of whitewash based on slaked lime to wall surfaces, common in the 18th and 19th centuries
LINTOL The flat beam at the head of a wall opening supporting the wall above
LUGGED Extending beyond the line of the moulding
MANSARD Roof with four pitches in section, often introduced to incorporate additional height in attic storeys; the front section slopes away from the wallhead
MARGIN Raised section of walling, with a smooth surface to provide a decorative edge
MASS (CONCRETE) Concrete cast in moulds without reinforcement where the structural strength relies on the bulk of the material once the shutters have been struck
MITRED PIENDS Or 'close-mitred piends', where slates are cut on an angle to abut one another tightly at a change in roof slope, without hip tiles or sheet lead coverings
MOULDING Decorative feature derived from classical architecture to embellish surfaces
MUDSTONE A grey sandstone, easily cut and carved, but prone to early decay in exposed or persistently damp locations as the binding sand matrix breaks down
MULLION Structural pillar dividing two or more windows; normally of stone, but applies also to the dividing member of a timber window
MUNTIN Central vertical member in a frame, normally refers to doors
OGEE Curved decorative moulding composed of 2 curves in opposite directions without a break, found often in cast iron gutter patterns
PANELLED Framed doors most often with a central mullion, or muntin
PANTILE A curved S-shaped red clay roofing tile
PEBBLEDASH Dry dash finish to cement rendered wall coating, finished with decorative marble or stone chips before the surface has set
PEDIMENT From classical architecture, a low-pitched triangular gable or feature applied to wall surfaces or to dormers
PIENDED Angled, or hipped roof
PILASTERS From classical architecture, flattened columns applied to wall surfaces
77
PLATE TRACERY Window patterns commonly found in ecclesiastical buildings in which the decorative glass is accommodated in openings punched through flat stonework
POINTING Mortar for finishing off the appearance of joints between masonry units or bricks within a wall, for which the style of pointing may vary considerably; historically lime based
POLYCHROMATIC Applies to brickwork, in contrasting colours, normally red and yellow
PUNCHEONED Stone dressed with a blunt pick, or with a pointed chisel PVC Applies to plastic products moulded from polyvinyl chloride, and variants of this material such as unplasticised PVC (uPVC)
QUOINS The shaped corner stones of a building
REINFORCED Applies to concrete, where the introduction of steel reinforcement increases strength and allows the section size to be reduced
RENDER Finish applied in more than one coating to wall surfaces, from the 20th c normally cement-based; often applies to a smooth render, or one finished with a woodfloat
RHONES Cast iron gutters
RIDGING Finish to the head of a pitched roof: may be stone ridging, clay tiles, lead or zinc
ROCK-FACED Ashlar dressed to look as though it is natural, and straight out of the stone quarry
ROOFLIGHT General term applying to roof windows following the roof pitch
RUBBLE Walling material of undressed or roughly shaped stones; in better work may be laid as coursed or square- snecked rubble
RUSTICATED Ashlar, of which the courses may be grooved or channelled to emphasise the face of the stone
RYBAT Stone at window or door jambs forming the wall opening
SASH AND CASE Vertically sliding windows, historically always of timber
SANDSTONE A common building material from sedimentary rock, normally easy to shape into mouldings and carved with precision; durability will vary depending on the quarry source and the degree of exposure
SKEWS Flat stones at the head of gables to prevent water penetration
SKEWPUTT The stone at the foot of the skews, sometimes carved, to prevent them from slipping off the wallhead
SKYLIGHT Historic cast-iron roof light
SLATES Thin stone roofing units from metamorphic rock, easily split; colour, face size, and texture will vary according to the quarry source and how the material is dressed
SNECK HARLED A form of pointing or harling to a rubble wall in which the faces of the largest stones are left exposed
SPANDRELS Wall panels of slender masonry between the lintols of windows and the cills on the storey above
STAINED Modern proprietary wood stained finish
78
STAINED GLASS Coloured glass, set into lead or rolled zinc framing STALL RISER In shopfronts, the area below the shop window and the pavement
STILE The vertical frame member at the edge of a door or window
STRING COURSE Horizontal decorative band in walling
STUCCO Smooth render finish, normally of proprietary cement based fine-grained materials to provide a decorative treatment to masonry, favoured in the late18th/early 19th centuries
STUGGED The face of a stone dressed roughly with a pointed chisel
SYMMETRICAL Design replicated to either side of the centreline, for instance, of an elevation
TABLING Plain, or moulded, stone projecting from the wall face at the head of the wall
TERRACOTTA Decorative moulded treatment using the medium of unglazed baked clay, commonly used in the mid-late 19th century
THACKSTANE Projecting stone found on the front and rear walls of chimneyheads to protect the head of thatched roof finishes
TILES Roofing units for pitched roofs, normally other than slates
TYMPAN (GABLE) Central gable, or gablet, appearing on a principal elevation, built direct off the wallhead uPVC See PVC
VARNISHED Clear finish, mainly for wood
VERMICULATED Rustic work in stonework, with wavy lines in heavy relief, giving the impression of having been worm eaten
VOUSSOIRS Radial stones making up the curved profile of an arch
VITRIFIED Strengthening of finishes – either glass or clay – by intense heat avoiding the need for an applied glaze
WET DASH Applies normally to harling and the application of a final coat of small graded chippings mixed with cement
WITHES Bridging pieces of thin slabs of stone to segregate flues terminating in a chimneyhead
WYND Often termed a 'close' or 'pend': a lane or street at right angles to a principal thoroughfare in a traditional Scots burgh