Planning Services Ltd Townend Directors: A W Newby B.Sc DMS Waterfall Waterhouses Registered in England N* 2458413 Staffs ST10 3HZ web: www.pmeplanning.co.uk Design Access and Heritage Statement, Conversion of Barn for Holiday Use Lane House Farm, Butterton, PP-09198175, PP-09198182 1. Site & Applicant Details: E Verwey, M Beckett Lane House Farm, Wetton Road, Butterton, Staffs, ST13 7ST OS Grid Ref SK 081 565 Northing 356495 Easting 408123 Fig. 1. The Barn 2. Introduction: 2.1 Lane House Farm lies on the north side of Wetton Road, half a mile to the east of the village centre. 2.2 The site comprises a listed Georgian farmhouse with adjoining outbuildings, a corrugated ‘Nissen' shed, a further wood and corrugated iron shed, a ruined sectional concrete garage and a listed detached stone and tile combination barn. 2.3 The applicant is seeking to convert the barn for holiday use. 3. Planning History 3.1 NP/SM/1215/1197, NP/SM/1215/1198, Planning and Listed Building Consent for the conversion of redundant agricultural land and buildings to holiday barn conversions, domestic garage and ancillary outbuilding, withdrawn 20/01/2016. 1 3.2 These applications included several significant elements. Officers supported the conversion of the listed barn which forms the subject of this application. There was also support for the principle of a replacement garage but felt that it should not encroach into open countryside to the north of the farmstead. The proposal for a further ancillary outbuilding was not supported. The applications were withdrawn pending preparation of a revised scheme. 3.3 There are a number of successful applications relating to replacement windows and front door. There are also successful applications relating to the erection of a Georgian style summerhouse: NP/SM/0415/0329, NP/SM/1214/1294, NP/SM/1214/1295, NP/SM/1214/1297, NP/SM/ 0619/0670 2,3,4,5 3.4 The current planning application and application for listed building consent seeks to simplify the proposal by focussing on the conversion of the listed combination barn. 3.5 A separate planning application for a replacement outbuilding has been submitted in parallel, ref PP-09198225. 4. Historical Overview. 4.1 The barn is a combination barn comprising a cartshed and shippon on the ground floor with a hayloft (tallet) above. The building is listed separately from the farmhouse. The English Heritage Building Listing Reference number is 274419 and is described as follows: 6 Cartshed, stable and granary approximately 10 yards West of Lanehouse Farmhouse. Cartshed, stable and granary. Dated "W.H. 1854". Coursed squared and dressed rubble; dressed ashlar quoins and dressings with chisel draughted edges; clay tile roof with coped verges. 2 storeys. Tallet steps up to granary door to left hand side; wide (blocked) segmental archway to right hand side with ashlar voissoirs (sic) and dated keystone. Stable door between with small paned window above. 4.2 The initials W.H refer to William Hambleton. The Hambletons were landowners in Butterton and Alstonefield and held numerous public offices over the years. 7 4.3 Notwithstanding the aforementioned description, the south western end of the ground floor, has standing for six cows with boskins, drinking troughs and hayracks and it is unlikely that the building would have accommodated a horse. The ‘stable’ door is too low and narrow for a typical 16h draught horse. 4.4 The building was listed in 1985. A brick and block lean to with fibre- cement corrugated roofing adjoins the north east gable. The lean-to would appear to have been built long before the listing, but is not described by the listing. 4.5 In 2017, a character statement for traditional farmsteads in the Peak District was compiled, part-funded by Historic England and written by national farm buildings experts Jeremy Lake and Bob Edwards. The document describes the main types of farmstead in the national park, and how the buildings relate to factors such as traditional farming practices, geology and location. The study also relates farmsteads to the different landscape character areas. Butterton is in the South West Peak.8 4.6 Map regressions reveal the original form of the farmstead and show that Lane House Farm developed as dispersed driftway plan. Fig. 2. Extract from 1-25 inch OS map of 1880 11 4.7 The Character Statement records that dispersed driftway plans account for 2% of recorded farmsteads and are concentrated in the south west peak. The buildings and yards are typically arranged around one or more driftways which provide access to the surrounding pasture. 4.8 The building is a combination barn. The Character Statement records that these are general purpose buildings that fulfilled several roles including cow housing, stabling, threshing and storage of forage and implements. Cartographic Records 4.4 Henry Steven’s OS survey draft of 1836 and the Tithe map of 1847 show Wallacre, which lies to the east and Fenns House which lies to the north west, but Lane House Farm is not shown. 9,10 4.5 Lane House Farm first appears on the 1st epoch OS map of 1880. It was originally named Lane Farm. The map shows the farmhouse with the adjoining shippon to the north west and pigsty and privy to the rear. The combination barn lies a short way to the east with a further outbuilding with fold yard on the southern side of Wetton Road - and now part of New Lane House Farm. 11 Fig. 3. Extract from 1-25 inch OS map of 1899 12 4.6 The arrangement is little changed in the 2nd edition published in 1899. The driftway leading north has been incorporated into the field system and the name has changed to Lane House Farm. 12 4.7 A new farmhouse at Ferns Farm appears on the 3rd edition published in 1922, but the arrangement at Lane House Farm is unchanged. 4.8 The 1-2500 OS map of 1969 shows several post war additions including the lean-to at the back of the combination barn, the wooden shed, Nissen Shed and a lean-to adjoining the north west side of the pig sty. The map also shows the new farmhouse at New Lane House Farm. Fig. 4. Extract from 1-25 inch OS map of 1922 13 Fig. 5. Extract from 1-2500 inch OS map of 1969 14 4.8 Subsequent changes include the addition of a sectional concrete garage and summerhouse. The sectional concrete garage was removed this year although it’s base remains in-situ. 4.9 Lane House Farm and the listed barn are not included in the Staffordshire Historic Environment Record. 4.10 It is understood that that the barn is included on the local list of buildings at risk. 5. Description of the building and its setting. 5.1 Lane House Farm is situated on the north side of Wetton Road about 0.7km to the east of Butterton. 5.2 The site lies within the South West Peak. The landscape character is classified as “Upland Pasture”, an upland pastoral landscape with a traditional dispersed pattern of gritstone farmsteads of probable ancient origins. There are also localised village settlements. Permanent pasture is enclosed by drystone walls and some hedgerows. Trees are scattered along incised cloughs and around dispersed gritstone farmsteads. This is a very peaceful rural landscape with open views to surrounding higher ground. 5.3 The farmstead comprises a Georgian stone and tile listed farmhouse and outbuildings, a separately listed detached stone barn and a range of decrepit post war outbuildings. 5.4 The site extends to about an acre with a further three acres of pasture lying immediately to the north. 5.5 Vehicular access to the site is via Wetton Road. 5.6 There are no public footpaths within the site. The nearest footpath, designated FP Butterton 15 runs from New Lane House Farm, opposite, towards Back Lane. 5.7 The barn is a combination barn comprising a cartshed and shippon on the ground floor with a hayloft (tallet) above. 5.8 The walls of the main stone and tile barn are 450 mm thick coursed and dressed limestone with sandstone heads and cills. The walls of the lean- to are 230 mm thick brick and block. 5.9 The ground floor of the barn is divided into two unequal bays by a short 305 mm thick stone wall. The smaller north eastern part would have provided storage for a cart and the larger south western part, standing for six cows. 5.10 The ground floors are concrete with a wide shallow drainage channel and step onto the raised stalls. The concrete floor, concrete stall partitions and waterers are C20 alterations. 5.11 The loft floor is also not original and is supported by bressummer beams with longitudinal beams and transverse floor joists over. 5.12 The floor area measures 39.6 sq. m on each floor. The floor area of the lean-to measures 20.0 sq. m. 5.13 The roof of the main stone and tile barn is supported by the original king post truss and purlins and is clad in blue clay tiles and ridge with a coped verge and kneelers and a sandstone eaves course. 5.14 The hopper window at the rear of the building is badly damaged but was originally a six pane hopper. The lean-to has softwood windows, originally white, but badly weathered and with broken panes. Other windows are missing. 5.15 The loft and shippon have inward opening, vertically boarded doors. These were once painted a dark reddish brown, now badly weathered.