MERTON COUNCIL PUTTING YOU FIRST John Innes (Merton Park) Conservation Area Management Plan A supplement to the John Innes (Merton Park) Conservation Area Appraisal September 2010 www.merton.gov.uk CONTENTS: 1. Introduction 2. Implications of conservation area designation 3. Special architectural and historic interest 4. Challenges faced in the conservation area 5. Management Proposals APPENDICES: 1. The Action Plan 2. References London Borough of Merton 2 Management Plan: John Innes (Merton Park) Conservation Area 1.0 INTRODUCTION Background to the Conservation Area Management Plan 1.1 This Management Plan has been prepared as a supplement to the Character Appraisal for the John Innes (Merton Park) Conservation Area (2006). 1.2 The duty to designate conservation areas was introduced in the Civic Amenities Act 1967. Designation of the John Innes (Merton Park) Conservation Area in the following year was, therefore, a rapid response to the new provision that immediately recognised the significance of the area. The John Innes (Wilton Crescent) Conservation Area followed in 1984. The two areas are contiguous and there is much that unites them through the John Innes connection, which is why his name appears in their formal titles. More generally, however, the two areas are known as the Merton Park and the Wilton Crescent Conservation Areas. 1.3 While there are planning measures relating specifically to conservation areas (see section 3 below), their effectiveness depends upon the way in which the designated areas are managed. This is not simply a matter of controls being exercised by the Borough Council, there are incentives too, and significant contributions to be made by local businesses, residents and community groups. The purpose of a management plan, therefore, is to show how each can play a part in making the John Innes conservation areas a better place to live in, to work in and to visit. 1.4 The first step is to identify the special architectural and historic interest that justified designation. The Borough Council has done this in the character appraisal of the Wilton Crescent and Merton Park areas that were published in 2005 and 2006 respectively. 1.5 Having defined what is important, the Council now needs to consider how it will be looked after. For this, it has prepared management plans for the two areas so that future decision-making is coordinated with the common purpose of enhancing their qualities. This is the initial stage in a proposed series of management plans that will eventually cover all the conservation areas in the Borough. September 2010 London Borough of Merton 3 Management Plan: John Innes (Merton Park) Conservation Area The need for proactive management 1.6 Government policy1 has made it clear that conservation areas are not necessarily preservation areas. Change is an inevitable facet of modern life and the challenge is to manage change in a manner that does not lose sight of the special historic qualities of a place. Local authorities are expected to publish appraisals of their conservation areas, in order to identify their special interest, and then to prepare management plans to address the issues that arise from that analysis. 1.7 Proactive management of conservation areas gives clarity and robustness to decision making, which means that issues may be more defensible in, for instance, planning appeals. 2.0 IMPLICATIONS OF CONSERVATION AREA DESIGNATION 2.1 Designation as a conservation area brings a number of specific statutory provisions aimed at assisting the “preservation and enhancement” of the area. These are as follows: The local authority must review designations ‘from time to time’. There is a particular duty to prepare proposals for the enhancement of conservation areas. Character appraisals and management plans form a significant part of that duty. When using any powers under the Planning Acts, special attention must be paid to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of conservation areas. Extra publicity must be given to planning applications affecting conservation areas. Conservation Area Consent is required for the demolition of any unlisted building in a conservation area (with certain minor exceptions) and the local authority, or the Secretary of State, may take enforcement action or institute a criminal prosecution if consent is not obtained. Written notice must be given to the Council six weeks before works are carried out to any trees in the area above a minimum size (75mm diameter at 1.5 metres above the ground). The display of advertisements may be more restricted than elsewhere. The Council, or the Secretary of State, may take steps to ensure that buildings in a conservation area are kept in good repair through the use of Urgent Works Notices and Amenity Notices. 1 Planning Policy Statement 5 (PPS5) – Planning for the Historic Environment - 2010 September 2010 London Borough of Merton 4 Management Plan: John Innes (Merton Park) Conservation Area 2.2 Owners and residents can minimise the effects of change by employing skilled advice when preparing development proposals and by avoiding unrealistic aspirations. 3.0 SPECIAL ARCHITECTURAL AND HISTORIC INTEREST The Merton Park Conservation Area 3.1 The conservation area for Merton Park was designated in 1968. It was extended in November 1990 to include the recreation ground adjacent to Cannon Hill Lane. This was the area that was used as the basis for the conservation area assessment in 2006. 3.2 As part of the appraisal, a boundary review was undertaken. This resulted in amendments that saw the inclusion of properties in Manor Gardens and three minor exclusions of relatively modern buildings. These amendments have since been designated. Summary of special architectural and historic interest 3.3 The Character Appraisal details the history of Merton from Saxon times. The layout of the mediaeval village is still apparent in John Rocque’s map of 1745. It remained a rural settlement until the mid- 19th century when the railway network stimulated the development of London’s suburbs. 3.4 In the 1870s, John Innes laid out land for housing in what is arguably the first garden suburb. Notable architects included Henry Goodall Quartermain, and later JS Brocklesby, who left a legacy of distinctive houses in the English Domestic and Arts-and-Crafts styles. 3.5 The Character Appraisal summarises the character in four areas: The pre-suburban village comprising the irregular area of Church Path and the Glebe Field and including the church, the vicarage and the terrace at Nos.15-25 Church Path. The Garden Suburb, which comprises most of the conservation area. Characteristics include the regular grid of streets, a spacious low-density layout, generous planting and the John Innes Park. The later Garden Suburb of the Watery Lane area where the earlier irregular street pattern is overlaid by housing influenced by the garden suburb styles. Manor Gardens characterised by a coherent group of regular houses with very high quality street trees. September 2010 London Borough of Merton 5 Management Plan: John Innes (Merton Park) Conservation Area 4.0 CHALLENGES FACED IN THE MERTON PARK CONSERVATION AREA 4.1 There is an overwhelming view that the special interest, character and appearance of the Merton Park Conservation Area are important to life in the area today. 4.2 A range of issues that may affect the historic character of the conservation area have emerged from site surveys, from the Character Appraisal of Merton Park (2006) and from public consultation, the Council’s Conservation and Design Advisory Panel (CADAP), the John Innes Society, and Council Officers. 4.3 The main issues are: Building maintenance and repair. Loss of original architectural detail. Tree management. Street frontages. Design of new development. Traffic, pedestrian movement and parking. Public realm, street furniture, street lighting and signage. Policy and guidance. Opportunities for enhancement. 4.4 In response to the main issues identified above, the following section sets out proposals for the future management of the conservation area. Appendix 1 contains an Action Plan that shows how the proposed recommendations might be achieved in the short, medium and long term. September 2010 London Borough of Merton 6 Management Plan: John Innes (Merton Park) Conservation Area 5.0 MANAGEMENT PROPOSALS Building and Planning MP 1: Monitor Building Condition The condition of all historic assets should be assessed regularly and measures put in place to require improvements should a site begin to have a detrimental impact on the area. 5.1 The general condition of properties in the area is good, although there have been occasional cases where repairs have not been addressed. 5.2 Where the condition of a listed building or key unlisted building gives cause for concern, appropriate steps should be sought to secure the future of the building. Such measures include the use of statutory powers, such as an Urgent Works Notice, to secure the preservation of the building by protecting it from further decay. 5.3 Where the appearance of a site is detrimental to the neighbourhood, consideration should be given to serving a Section 215 Notice, sometimes called an Amenity Notice. This requires the proper maintenance of the property or land and it specifies what steps are required to remedy the problem within a specific time period. 5.4 In some cases, the appearance of sites can be improved through careful development. MP 2: Protect against loss of architectural detail The special qualities of all key unlisted buildings should be protected by means of an Article 4 Direction. 5.5 Small changes such as replacement of front doors and windows with uPVC ‘imitations’, infilling of porches and painting of masonry are cumulatively eroding the special historic character and damaging the appearance of historic buildings. The Article 4 Direction plays a vital role in bringing some minor changes within the control of the planning system, but it does not extend to all the key unlisted buildings in the conservation area.