Newnham Croft Conservation Area Appraisal June 2013 NEWNHAM CROFT CONSERVATION AREA APPRAISAL © Crowncopyright anddatabaseright 2013.OrdnanceSurvey Licencenumber100019730. Copyright notice Pleaserecycle. Printed onrecycledpaper. Can bedownloadedfrom Tel: CB1 0JH Cambridge CityCouncil PO Box700 Cambridge CityCouncil Planning Services This publicationhasbeenproducedby: 01223457000 www.cambridge.gov.uk Contents 1 Introduction...................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Method........................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Location......................................................................................................................... 5 2 The National Planning Context........................................................................................ 6 PPRAISAL 2.1 National policies............................................................................................................. 6 2.2 Local policies................................................................................................................. 6 A 3 Summary of Special Interest............................................................................................ 8 3.1 General character ......................................................................................................... 8 3.2 Landscape setting ......................................................................................................... 9 REA 3.3 Archaeology................................................................................................................... 9 A 3.4 Historical development.................................................................................................. 9 4 Spatial Analysis................................................................................................................ 12 N 4.1 Newnham Road and The Fen Causeway...................................................................... 12 4.2 Lammas Land................................................................................................................ 15 4.3 Paradise Nature Reserve...............................................................................................16 4.4 The principal residential streets..................................................................................... 18 4.5 St Catharine’s College Sports Field and the river meadows down to the River Cam.... 38 5 Architectural Overview..................................................................................................... 40 6 Trees, Landscape and Open Spaces.............................................................................. 42 7 Key Characteristics of the Conservation Area................................................................. 44 SERVATIO 8 Issues and Recommendations........................................................................................ 46 N 8.1 Conservation Area boundary review.............................................................................. 46 O 8.2 Protection of the setting of the Conservation Area........................................................ 47 8.3 The protection of unlisted properties............................................................................. 47 C 8.4 Care of the trees within the Conservation Area............................................................. 48 8.5 Maintenance of the roads, grass verges, pavements and street lighting....................... 48 8.6 Traffic and parking......................................................................................................... 49 ROFT 8.7 Protecting the houses from inappropriate alterations.................................................... 49 8.8 Buildings of Local Interest.............................................................................................. 50 C 9 References...................................................................................................................... 51 10 Contact details............................................................................................................... 52 11 Appendix 1: Listed Buildings.......................................................................................... 53 12 Appendix 2: Existing and proposed BLIs....................................................................... 54 HAM 13 Appendix 3: Maps.......................................................................................................... 58 N EW N PPRAISAL A REA A N SERVATIO N 1 Introduction O This Appraisal seeks to define what for new Conservation Areas at the time 1.1 Method is special about the Newnham Croft due to other work commitments, the C The Conservation Studio, working Conservation Area, and to provide residents formed a working group and on behalf of Cambridge City Council, information about its landscape, under the direction of the Conservation has surveyed the area and assessed architectural merit and historical team, prepared a Character Appraisal the character of the Newnham Croft ROFT development. A campaign to designate of the proposed area themselves. The Conservation Area. This document Newnham Croft as a Conservation working group included a core of around therefore includes an assessment of C Area was started by local residents in 20 people, including City and County the special interest of the Conservation 1997, when a public meeting was held councilors. That document, and the Area, as informed by survey work and to gauge support for the proposal. The recommendation for designation, was the previous Character Appraisal, and meeting showed almost unanimous approved by the Council’s Environment HAM provides guidance on measures which support for the idea. As the City Council Committee on 8 June 1998. N may in the future ensure its protection were unable to take forward proposals and enhancement, as required by law. EW N 4 1.2 Location Newnham Croft lies a mile to the south-west of the historic city centre of Cambridge. The area is bounded to the north-west and north by the college PPRAISAL buildings, open spaces and spacious A houses of the West Cambridge and Cambridge Central Conservation Areas; by the line of the River Cam to the east and south-east, beyond which lies part REA of the Cambridge Central Conservation Area and the Southacre Conservation A Area; and by the water-meadows which N lie on either side of the River Cam, which eventually lead to Grantchester, which lies within South Cambridgeshire District, to Lammas Land public park the south. Barton Road, which connects to the M11 motorway, commences within the Newnham Croft Conservation Area, at the busy junction with Newnham Road and Grantchester Road. SERVATIO N O C ROFT C HAM Houses in Hardwick Street N EW 5 N PPRAISAL A REA A N SERVATIO N 2 The National Planning Context O Section 69 of the Planning (Listed Areas must ‘preserve or enhance’ the and guidance on how these are expected Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act special character of the area. The siting, to be applied. Section 12 of the NPPF C 1990 imposes a duty on Local Planning scale, height, form, details and building Conserving and enhancing the historic Authorities to designate as ‘Conservation materials for all new development will environment is largely an abbreviation Areas’ any “areas of special architectural therefore need to be carefully chosen. of the policies and guidance formerly ROFT or historic interest the character or contained in Planning Policy Statement appearance of which it is desirable to 2.1 National policies 5 Planning and the Historic Environment. C preserve or enhance”. The English Heritage guidance, which The National Planning Policy Framework accompanied PPS5, is still relevant. The special character of Conservation (NPPF), adopted in March 2012, sets out Areas means that the control of the Government’s requirements for the HAM development is stricter than in other operation of the planning system, and 2.2 Local policies N areas. The law requires that all new includes planning policies for England The Cambridge Local Plan 2006 sets development in or around Conservation EW N 6 out policies and proposals for future development and land use to 2016. The policies of the Local Plan are currently under review with a view to adoption in summer 2014. Further information about Local Plan policies and the major PPRAISAL implications of Conservation Area A designation can be found on the Council’s website. Potentially, the Newnham Croft REA Conservation Area may be affected by ‘Areas of Major Change’ that will A see the expansion of Cambridge on its fringes. This, and other matters which N may affect future development in the Conservation Area, are discussed later in this document in Chapter 8 Issues and Recommendations. SERVATIO N O C ROFT C HAM N EW 7 N PPRAISAL A REA A N SERVATIO N 3 Summary of Special Interest O 3.1 General character as most of these businesses are located This connects to the small group of in buildings which were either once buildings which lie to the north of The Fen C The Newnham Croft Conservation houses or retain a residential character. Causeway, between Newnham Road Area was largely developed as artisan It is notable that architectural styles and and the River Cam, which are mainly housing between the late 19th century details vary slightly, so each street has commercial buildings