Doncaster – Town Field Conservation Area Appraisal www.doncaster.gov.uk/conservationareas Doncaster – Town Field Conservation Area Appraisal Index Preface Part I – Appraisal 1. Introduction 2. Location 3. Origins and development of the settlement 4. Prevailing and former uses and the influence on the plan form and building types 5. Archaeological significance and potential of the area 6. Architectural and historic qualities of the buildings 7. Traditional building materials and details 8. Character and relationship of the spaces in the area 9. Green spaces and trees 10. Negative features 11. Neutral features 12. Condition of buildings 13. Problems, pressures and capacity for change 14. Suggested boundary changes 15. Summary of special interest Part II – Management Proposals 16. Management Proposals Appendices I Useful Information & Contact Details II Relevant Policies of the Doncaster Unitary Development Plan Maps 1. Origin and Development of Area 2. Positive Features 3. Negative and Neutral Features 4. Views into and out of Conservation Area 2 Preface The guidance contained in this document is provided to assist developers and the general public when submitting planning applications. It supplements and expands upon the Policies and Proposals of the Doncaster Unitary Development Plan (UDP) and the emerging policies that will be contained within the Local Development Framework (LDF). The UDP contains both the strategic and the local planning policies necessary to guide development in Doncaster and is used by the Council for development control purposes. At the time of writing this appraisal, the UDP is being reviewed and will ultimately be replaced with the emerging LDF. It is not possible however for the UDP or indeed the future LDF to address in detail all the issues raised by the many types of development. This appraisal will be a material consideration to be taken into account when determining planning applications. Also included within the Appraisal are Management Proposals that will be considered for adoption by the Council as part of its approval processes. It is hoped that this guidance will cover most eventualities including all the main guidelines, which a prospective applicant should bear in mind when considering development proposals. The appraisal however is not intended to be wholly comprehensive and the failure to mention any particular building; feature or space should not be assumed to imply that they are not of significance. Advice is available from Doncaster Council’s Design and Conservation Team and you are advised to make early contact before carrying out any work within the conservation area. The Design and Conservation Team would like to give special thanks to the Doncaster Civic Trust and especially Eric Braim with regards the sharing of their knowledge in connection with the history and architecture of the area and its buildings. 3 Part I – Appraisal 1. Introduction A conservation area is an area “…of special architectural or historic interest, the character of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance”1 Conservation areas were first introduced by the Civic Amenities Act 1967. The Act has now been incorporated and expanded into the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, which provides the statutory basis for planning control within conservation areas. This current Act imposes a duty on the local planning authority to designate conservation areas (where appropriate), to review them from time to time, and to bring forward policies and proposals for the preservation and enhancement of such areas. Before bringing forward policies and proposals for any conservation area it is important to define what its special historic or architectural character is. Government guidance contained in Planning Policy Statements 1 and 5 emphasises the need for the character and local distinctiveness of an area to be analysed and clearly defined in a written appraisal. English Heritage has set out in their 2006 guidance note “Guidance on Conservation Area Appraisals” a methodology for analysing this character. Aerial photograph showing existing boundary of Doncaster – Town Field Conservation Area 1 As defined under S61 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 4 This appraisal covers the Doncaster – Town Field Conservation Area, which was originally designated on 8 April 1991 and is the first review of this conservation area since its designation. The appraisal follows the English Heritage guidance and aims to identify the special architectural, landscape and historic interest of the Doncaster – Town Field Conservation Area. This conservation area contains Town Field itself and the planned suburban expansion of Doncaster’s residential area carried out in the early twentieth century along its northern side. The architecture of most of the buildings dates from this period. Buildings are mainly two storied, although along and towards Thorne Road there are three storied development. They are predominantly in red brick with slate or small red clay plain tiles. There are often elaborate forms of buildings with decorative architectural features, such as windows, doors, chimneys, bays, turrets, gables and porches. There are also areas of half timbering, stucco and decorative brickwork. Front boundary walls are generally low brick walls with castellated terracotta decorative copings often backed with hedges or shrubs. The character of the conservation area derives greatly from the large amount of trees and green spaces. This includes Town Field itself where the land gently slopes and increases on the approach to Thorne Road. The boulevard of trees on Town Moor Avenue is a key feature as well as greenness provided by most front gardens. Within the conservation area there are no listed structures. This document will be used as material consideration for planning applications after public consultation. This appraisal also includes management proposals that recommend measures that could be used to help preserve or enhance the special character and appearance of the conservation area. 5 2. Location The Town Field Conservation Area is approximately one mile east of Doncaster town centre and is centred on the Town Field Playing Fields, with its boundary along the south side of Thorne Road, to the rear of the properties on Bennetthorpe and Alderson Drive to the south. Within the boundary of the conservation area are Town Moor Avenue, Victorian Crescent, Windsor Road, the south side of Thorne Road (from Town Field to the hospital) and parts of Imperial Crescent, Buckingham Road, Marlborough Road, Hampton Road, Alderson Drive, Manor Drive and finally Sandringham Road. The latter streets are included due to having junctions with Town Moor Avenue. At the junction of Town Moor Avenue with Leger Way the boundary turns southwest to include the buildings and playing fields of the Yorkshire Residential School for the Deaf. Doncaster – Town Field adjoins Doncaster – Christ Church, Doncaster – Thorne Road and Doncaster – Bennetthorpe. Conservation Areas in Doncaster Town Centre 6 3. Origins and development of the settlement The conservation area takes its name from the Town Field, a vast area of open space just outside of the town centre. However, the Town Field or Doncaster Field was formerly known as Long Newton and Short Newton, and was formerly agricultural land. During the Georgian period many open fields were enclosed by private acts of Parliament and divided into small fields. In 1814 a notice appeared in the Doncaster Gazette stating that the proprietors intended to promote a parliamentary bill for dividing, allotting and enclosing Doncaster Field. Doncaster Corporation decided they would not co-operate with the other proprieties of Doncaster Field and instructed the Town Clerk to take all proper measures to oppose in Parliament the progress of any such bill. The origin of Town Field as a large open space can be seen to germinate from this decision. In 1829 the School for the Deaf was established in its current location, when it inhabited Eastfield House. The area surrounding the Town Field began to be developed from 1895 following the opening of a new road across Town Field under the name of Town Moor Avenue on Wednesday 10th July 1895. This period saw much development on land owned by Major Browne, with St Mary’s Road and Auckland Road, both on the opposite side of Thorne Road. 7 The cost of the building of Town Moor Avenue was around £6,000, towards which the Corporation contributed £4,400 and £1,300 was donated by Major Browne. A great deal of pomp and ceremony took place at the launch, with the Mayor stating that “this was one of the greatest improvements the Corporation had carried out in modern times and it was a work of great magnitude.” As part of the agreement between Major Browne and the Corporation the part of the Town Field to the west of the new road was to be left forever open. The area to the east of the new road was not developed for housing until 1901 when Harold Arnold and Son purchased the land from Major Browne. By 1906, thirteen houses were constructed on Town Moor Avenue, along with the north side of Windsor Road and several properties at the junction of Windsor Road and Thorne Road. 8 All these houses were heavily influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th century and as discussed later all are well detailed. Construction continued so that by 1910 two more houses had been built and by the early 1930s there were sixty-six houses on Town Moor Avenue, steadily progressing towards the racecourse. All the houses appear to be built in the same style and possibly by the same builder, copying the early styles of the upper part of Town Moor Avenue. There is no doubt that this area was occupied by people of high standing in the town who enjoyed the idyllic setting. In terms of building, the majority of the house building had finished by the late 1930s apart from a scattering of ‘infill’ buildings of the late Twentieth century and some other recent developments.