East Ayrshire Council East Ayrshire Local Development Plan Non-statutory Planning Guidance Bank Street and John Finnie Street Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan 2007 Austin-Smith:Lord LLP East Ayrshire Council 5th December 2007 Kilmarnock John Finnie Street and Page 1 of 135 207068 Bank Street Conservation Area Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Statutory Designations 3.0 Planning and Other Policies 4.0 History and Context 5.0 Architectural Appraisal 6.0 Townscape and Urban Realm Appraisal 7.0 Archaeological Assessment 8.0 Assessment of Significance 9.0 Vulnerability and Related issues 10.0 Conservation and Management Guidelines 11.0 Implementation and Review APPENDICES Appendix One - Outstanding Conservation Area Boundaries and Properties Appendix Two - Statutory Designations Appendix Three - Buildings Gazetteer Appendix Four - Archaeological Gazetteer Appendix Five - Definitions Austin-Smith: Lord LLP 296 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow. G2 5RU t. 0141 223 8500 f. 0141 223 8501 e: [email protected] June 2007 Austin-Smith:Lord LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC315362. Austin-Smith:Lord LLP East Ayrshire Council 5th December 2007 Kilmarnock John Finnie Street and Page 2 of 135 207068 Bank Street Conservation Area Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan Austin-Smith:Lord LLP East Ayrshire Council 5th December 2007 Kilmarnock John Finnie Street and Page 3 of 135 207068 Bank Street Conservation Area Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan 1.0 INTRODUCTION th Figure 1: John Finnie Street from Station Brae and the North, Early 20 Century (author’s collection) 1.1 The character of Kilmarnock is shaped by the quality and diversity of its historic buildings and streetscape. Over the last 30 years, changes in the local economy have led to low levels of investment and to many of the buildings within the historic core of the town falling into varying levels of disrepair and being underused. This has, in turn, acted as a disincentive to market-led regeneration. Without action it is anticipated that the cycle will continue. 1.2 The aim of East Ayrshire Council is therefore to secure the regeneration of the town centre and ensure that it has a viable economic future by investing in the built heritage. Over the last ten years the Council have pursued a range of policies designed to reinvigorate the town centre, culminating in 2006 with successful applications to Historic Scotland’s Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) and the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI). 1.3 Over the next 10 years a substantial programme of conservation and regeneration will take place, preserving and enhancing the historic character in order to make Kilmarnock a more attractive place to work, live and visit. 1.4 Recognising that the historic environment is a finite resource that is sensitive to change, East Ayrshire Council has instructed Austin-Smith: Lord to prepare a conservation area management plan. This identifies the special character of the town’s historic core, assesses how it might be vulnerable to change, and sets out policies which will guide future development. This work includes a review of the existing conservation area appraisal work undertaken by the Council, the details of which are incorporated within this report. 1.5 The Plan was issued as a consultative draft during October 2007 and adopted as supplementary planning Guidance by the Council and Kilmarnock THI Partnership in November 2007. Austin-Smith:Lord LLP East Ayrshire Council 5th December 2007 Kilmarnock John Finnie Street and Page 4 of 135 207068 Bank Street Conservation Area Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan Figure 2: Conservation Management Plan Area and Outstanding Conservation Area Boundaries as at June 2007 (A-S:L / Ordnance Survey) Austin-Smith:Lord LLP East Ayrshire Council 5th December 2007 Kilmarnock John Finnie Street and Page 5 of 135 207068 Bank Street Conservation Area Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan Description 1.6 The John Finnie Street and Bank Street Outstanding Conservation Area comprises the surviving historic core of Kilmarnock and the majority of the town centre; from John Finnie Street and Grange Place to Kilmarnock Water, and from St. Marnock Street in the south up to the Old High Kirk in the north. It includes some 270 properties in a diverse mix of ages and styles, from the post-mediaeval street plan around Bank Street to the Victorian elegance of John Finnie Street and the eclectic mix of West George Street and Portland Street. 1.7 John Finnie Street is easily the most stimulating and architecturally valuable street in Kilmarnock today. A superb example of a provincial Victorian planned street, it is now category A listed as a group with many of the individual buildings listed category B or C in their own right. Architectural style varies considerably, from the French Renaissance style of nos. 2-4 (the former Ossington Hotel) and 16-28, to the Italianate classicism of 6-18 (the former opera house), to the Gothic revival detailing of nos. 58-62 (Oddfellows Hall) and the Laigh Kirk Halls. Instead of a uniform architectural style, the street instead relies upon the use of materials for its cohesion. With only a few exceptions, the predominant building material is locally quarried Ballochmyle red sandstone. Rear elevations are usually local brick, typically buff although some reds and porcelain faced examples are found. Windows were (and largely still are) traditional sash and case, albeit that some later buildings have original metal windows, whilst roofs are slate. 1.8 Bank Street and surrounding streets such as Strand, Croft Street, Cheapside, College Wynd, and Low Church Lane offer a stark contrast to the planned geometry of John Finnie Street, Grange Place, and John Dickie Street. Although the buildings are largely 19th and early 20th century, the irregular street plan dates from Kilmarnock’s earliest days and – following comprehensive redevelopment east of the Cross in the 1970s – is perhaps the sole surviving evidence for this important period of its development. Buildings encompass a period of some 200-250 years and styles therefore vary significantly. Construction is overwhelmingly traditional with stonemasonry walls, timber sash and case windows, and Scottish or Welsh slate roofs. Many of the buildings are rendered, albeit in modern cement mixes, however typically 19th century sandstone buildings also exist. Strand Street contains a unique set of French Renaissance brick warehouses developed by Johnnie Walker around the turn of the 20th century. 1.9 Arguably the closest which Kilmarnock has ever had to a civic street, St. Marnock Street contains some of the town’s main public buildings, arranged as an imposing group which dominate the immediate area. St. Marnock’s Church, the Procurator Fiscal’s Office (formerly the Sheriff Court), and the modern Sheriff Court are one of the most important groups in the area; three markedly contrasting styles drawn together by materials – red sandstone and slated roofs – and acting as a fitting entrance to Dundonald Road, Portland Road, and John Finnie Street. 1.10 The final part of the Conservation Area comprises West George Street, the northern section of Portland Street, and the immediate area around the Old High Kirk. A range of different uses and styles but nevertheless largely harmonious in overall composition, these streets demonstrate a range of traditional 19th century two-storey shops and houses typical of the town before modern redevelopment. Key buildings include the Old High Kirk, 78-80 Portland Street (Mason Murphy), the former West High Church, 13-15 and 22-24 West George Street (Goodfellows and Fanny by Gaslight/Fifty Waistcoats). Included within this part of the Conservation Area is the imposing 19th century railway viaduct, extending east over the Kilmarnock Water, and a series of open car parks where historic streets once stood. Austin-Smith:Lord LLP East Ayrshire Council 5th December 2007 Kilmarnock John Finnie Street and Page 6 of 135 207068 Bank Street Conservation Area Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan Figure 3: John Finnie Street Looking North (East Ayrshire Council) Figure 4: Bank Street Looking East (East Ayrshire Council) Austin-Smith:Lord LLP East Ayrshire Council 5th December 2007 Kilmarnock John Finnie Street and Page 7 of 135 207068 Bank Street Conservation Area Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan Wider Context 1.11 In 2005, East Ayrshire Council (EAC) appointed a team led by Austin-Smith: Lord to provide survey, assessment and costing information to base funding bids for heritage-led conservation schemes in order to ensure the regeneration and enhancement of these important parts of East Ayrshire’s built heritage. 1.12 The study was undertaken by a multidisciplinary team comprising: Architecture, conservation, and urban planning Austin-Smith: Lord LLP Cost Control Poole Dick Associates Economic Analysis Tribal HCH Valuation/Local Market Advice Graham and Sibbald Structural Engineering Forbes Leslie Network 1.13 The study had two phases; the first formed the basis for an application under the Historic Scotland (HS) Historic Environment Regeneration Fund and was submitted in October 2005. This comprised: • A description of the outstanding conservation area including historic development, key characteristics, an architectural assessment, and identification of important