Woodland Road, Patney Heritage Assessment PROPOSED DWELLING for Damien and Rebecca Thursby WOODLAND ROAD, PATNEY, WILTSHIRE March 2016 Ian Lund Dip Urban & Regional Planning, Dip Architectural Conservation, IHBC Heritage Professional Westbourne Cottage 21 Westbourne Road Trowbridge Wiltshire BA14 0AJ t 01225 765477 e [email protected] Woodland Road, Patney Heritage Assessment 1. Introduction 1.1 I have been commissioned by Damien and Rebecca Thursby to provide a heritage assessment intended to inform and accompany an application for planning permission for a new dwelling at Patney. The proposed development includes the construction of a detached dwelling, driveway and garden area. The development will also include the construction of an access from Woodland Road. 1.2 National planning policy requires the applicant to describe the significance of heritage assets that may be affected, and an appropriate level of specialist expertise is expected to be applied to the decision-making process. The first step for all applicants is to understand the significance of any affected heritage asset and, if relevant, the contribution of its setting to its significance. The level of detail is expected to be proportionate, and no more than is sufficient to understand the potential impact of the proposals on their significance. This assessment follows the general approach advocated in Historic Environment Good Practice Advice in Planning Note 2 published by Historic England following consultation with relevant professional bodies. The report however is not intended to provide a detailed historical record of the village. 1.3 I am a retired chartered town planner with 40 years experience of appraising development proposals in the historic environment. I am a member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation and am a past member of the Central Council, and Chairman of the South West branch. I continue to serve the Institute on its regional committee. The report represents my professional opinion, and is largely based upon a visual assessment of the site supported by documentary research including an inspection of the Historic Environment Record. 2. Patney 2.1 Patney is a small village located in the Vale of Pewsey close to the headwaters of the Christchurch Avon. Very little evidence of prehistoric or Roman settlement has been found in the parish, and Patney's assessments for medieval taxes were modest 1. The Census of 1801 recorded 130 people living in the parish. The population thereafter rose steadily to 196 in 1841 but following a decline a figure of 127 was reached by 1901. By 1921 the population had fallen to 85 until it grew again in the second half of the twentieth century, again reaching just over 130 residents by 1971. 1 Victoria County History for Wiltshire Woodland Road, Patney Heritage Assessment The 2011 census indicates a parish population of 155. 2.2 The settlement is centred on a crossroads approximately 200m to the south of the site. However, turnpike improvements elsewhere during the eighteenth century led to the downgrading of the westwards lane, and now the crossroads is effectively only a T-junction around which the village green, and former parish church, school and shop are grouped. 2.3 A number of older properties, and converted farm buildings, are found on Manor Farm Lane which leaves the T-junction in a north easterly junction. The general layout here can be described as low density and low rise with well-spaced buildings. 2.4 Most of the more recent building in Patney, both local authority and private, has taken place at the northern end of the lane leading to All Cannings – Woodland Road. This is now the main road, although development has not extended north of the railway line. The line first arrived in the 19th century but a station halt at Patney had closed by 1966. 2.5 Many of the modern properties are built of red brick beneath concrete tiles. Traditional building materials in the wider context of the Vale of Pewsey include timber framing, cob walling and the occasional use of malmstone or flint, in combination with wheat straw thatching. In Patney however the palette of traditional building materials can be characterised as mellow brickwork with thatch roof coverings or more commonly profiled Bridgwater tiles. 3. The Site 3.1 The site is situated in the corner of a paddock on the east side of Woodland Road. Access is obtained from a bridle path that runs along its northern boundary. The public right of way does not cross the site itself. The paddock has a low bank with a broken hedge and tree belt on the northern and western boundaries. The eastern and southern boundaries are open, overlooking land owned by the applicant. 3.2 On the east side of Woodland Road to the north is a ribbon of twentieth century houses. The west side of the road is also characterised by similar development. Opposite the site itself lie Nos. 23-27 Woodland Road orientated with a gable facing the road. This was first conceived as a short terrace of farm cottages. It has several outbuildings one of which is a modern garage block accessed by a gravelled drive that meets Woodland Road opposite the junction with the bridle path. 3.3 To the south of No. 23, facing the lane, lies a multi-phase property known as No. 21 Woodland Road. This retains a small element of timber framing with painted brick Woodland Road, Patney Heritage Assessment replacing wattle and daub panels. Externally most of the structure consists of brick walls, all beneath a straw thatched roof. 3.4 Further widely spaced dwellings continue after No. 21 down to the former church - now converted to a private dwelling - at the T-junction. 4. Legislative and Policy Background 4.1 The following outlines the legal and policy framework considered in the preparation of this assessment: . Section 66 (1) of the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 – contains a duty to have special regard to the desirability of preserving a listed building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) outlines government policy, including its policy in respect of the historic environment. Section 12 'Conserving and enhancing the historic environment' of the NPPF sets out the Government's high-level policies concerning heritage and sustainable development. Paragraph 126 notes that local planning authorities ”… should recognise that heritage assets are an irreplaceable resource and conserve them in manner appropriate to their significance …” and the approach set out in paragraphs 131 – 139 is of special relevance. Historic Environment Good Practice Advice in Planning Note 2 “Managing Significance in Decision-taking in the Historic Environment”, and Note 3 “The Setting of Heritage Assets” both published by Historic England in July 2015. “The National Planning Practice Guidance” published by CLG in 2014 is an additional web-based guidance resource. “Conservation Principles – Policies and Guidance for the sustainable management of the historic environment” of 2008 provides policy and guidance for the “sustainable management of the historic environment” published by English Heritage. “Understanding Place: Conservation Area Designation, Appraisal and Management” published by English Heritage in 2011. “Seeing History in the View – A method for Assessing Heritage Significance within Views” published by English Heritage in 2011. “Wiltshire Core Strategy Core Policy 58 – Ensuring the conservation of the historic environment” requires development to protect, conserve and where Woodland Road, Patney Heritage Assessment possible, enhance the historic environment, and states that designated heritage assets and their settings will be conserved. 5 Heritage Designations 5.1 There are written records referring to Patney at the time of King Edgar reign towards the end of the Saxon period1. However there is no physical evidence in the form of surviving heritage assets to found in the village. 5.2 The Wiltshire Historic Environment Record refers to the possibility of earthworks existing at Patney which may be the remains of the medieval phase of settlement. Most appear to have been ploughed out or levelled and those remaining appear to be centred on the west side of Woodland Road. The HER notes the site of a demolished farmstead dating from the 19th century in the paddock closest to the village green. A medieval shield-shaped stud, groat and belt attachment are also noted as being found at a findspot (MWI7314) at SU05NE452 in the paddocks west of Manor Farm. This seems to have been a stray find and the stud is now housed at the Wiltshire Heritage Museum at Devizes. 5.3 The layout of surviving lanes are testament to earlier times, and a small number of individual traditional buildings are found around the central T-junction and Manor Farm Lane but the quality of the place found today is fragmented. As a result the local authority has not identified the village, or part of it, as a Conservation Area where preservation and enhancement would be the overarching policy. The local authority weighed up ten years ago whether Patney had sufficient merit to be designated as a Conservation Area but found this was not justified, and I would concur with this conclusion. 5.4 Similarly the National Heritage List for England reveals neither are there any Scheduled Ancient Monuments or Historic Parks and Gardens found on the site or within the village. 5.5 Eight grade II listed buildings are located within the village. Apart from No. 21 Woodlands Road which is discussed below, none have any clear visual or functional relationship to the proposed development site The listed buildings located in Manor Farm Lane to the east of the site do not have historic formal settings, and the nearest – Manor Farm House – is separated from the site by fields, trees, changes in levels, and modern gardens and tennis courts.