Harle Syke Conservation Area Appraisal Published April 2018 Burnley Borough Council Harle Syke Conservation Area Appraisal – Published April 2018 Contents 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 3 What is a Conservation Area? .............................................................................................. 3 What is a Conservation Area Appraisal? .............................................................................. 3 How will the Conservation Area Appraisal be used?............................................................ 4 History of Designation .......................................................................................................... 4 Planning Policy Context ........................................................................................................ 5 2. Summary of Special Interest ................................................................................................. 6 3. Character Appraisal .............................................................................................................. 8 History ................................................................................................................................... 8 Layout and Form ................................................................................................................. 13 Architectural Style and Detailing ........................................................................................ 14 Shops ................................................................................................................................... 25 Public Realm ....................................................................................................................... 26 Open/Green Space ............................................................................................................. 28 Heritage Assets of individual Merit .................................................................................... 28 Views and Setting ............................................................................................................... 35 Conclusion........................................................................................................................... 36 4. Key Issues & Opportunities................................................................................................. 36 5. Conservation Area Boundary and Review .......................................................................... 38 Appendix A: Townscape Appraisal Map ..................................................................................... 39 Appendix B: Legislative and Policy Context ............................................................................... 40 Appendix C: Summary Historic Environment Record ................................................................ 42 Harle Syke Conservation Area Appraisal – Published April 2018 1. Introduction What is a Conservation Area? 1.1 Conservation areas are ‘areas of special architectural or historic interest the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance.’ Conservation areas identify the familiar and cherished local scene that creates a sense of place and typically cover the older parts of towns and villages whose surviving historic, architectural and locally distinctive features are important to conserve for present and future generations. There are presently ten conservation areas in Burnley. Embracing the best of the borough’s built historic environment, they range widely in character from pre-industrial settlements to areas of middle-class Victorian housing and to important collections of industrial buildings. 1.2 Conservation area designation recognises the unique quality of an area as a whole. It is not just the contribution of individual buildings that is important, but the sense of place created by different components such as topography and setting; historic development; layout, buildings and other structures; historic and current uses; open spaces, trees and other landscape features that all combine to provide the area’s special character and appearance. It is this character, rather than individual buildings that designation seeks to preserve or enhance. 1.3 Whilst conservation area status does introduce additional planning controls and considerations (see Appendix B), it should be recognised that conservation areas are designated to ensure that change is managed in a way that does not lose sight of the special historic and architectural qualities of the area, rather than to prevent change. What is a Conservation Area Appraisal? 1.4 In order to successfully preserve or enhance the character or appearance of a conservation area, it is important to understand and communicate to stakeholders what the architectural or historic interest of the area is. 1.5 A Conservation Area Appraisal seeks to do this through an analysis of the layout, buildings and other structures, open spaces and history that make the area special and through the identification of those key issues that need to be resolved if this special character is to be ‘preserved or enhanced’. The Appraisal Map in Appendix A provides a visual summary of the key townscape attributes that contribute to the overall character and appearance of the Conservation Area including views and vistas; open space and trees; landmarks features; and individual buildings of notable historic or architectural interest. 1.6 A Conservation Area Appraisal is generally a ‘broad brush’ process and as such it does not seek to analyse or describe every characteristic or individual building or feature within the conservation area that contributes to or detracts from its character and appearance. Whilst every effort has been taken to include those currently visible elements that are key to its special character; where a building a feature has not been specifically highlighted in this Appraisal, it cannot not be taken to imply that it holds no visual or historic value to the conservation area. 3 Harle Syke Conservation Area Appraisal – Published April 2018 1.7 Historic England provides guidance on undertaking conservation area appraisal and this has been taken into account in the preparation of the appraisal. 1 How will the Conservation Area Appraisal be used? 1.8 This Appraisal is intended to help owners and occupiers of buildings as well as decision-makers to manage change in a positive, proactive manner that will preserve and where possible enhance the special interest of the conservation area. The Appraisal will be used in the following ways: • To help ensure that development proposals and regeneration schemes, within or affecting the setting of a conservation area, have regard to the special qualities of the area and aim to preserve or sympathetically enhance the character or appearance of the area. It will be a material consideration in the determination of planning applications; • To inform those considering investment in the area and provide a useful source of information for property owners, agents, applicants and members of the public; and • To raise public awareness and appreciation of the significance of the conservation area. Consultation on the Conservation Appraisal 1.9 The draft appraisal was made available for public comment, amended as appropriate and published in April 2018. History of Designation 1.10 This document provides the first published appraisal of Harle Syke Conservation Area which was first designated 1977, the larger of two possible areas considered at that time. 1.11 The 1977 consultation report on the smaller area states that “Harle Syke, a small late 19th century industrial village, is based upon five former cotton mills. Once freestanding it has since coalesced with the expanding suburbs of Burnley along Briercliffe Road. The proposed Conservation Area lies in the southern part of the village, being centred on St James’s Church and the Vicarage. These buildings, built around 1840 of local sandstone, are plain, solid and dignified thus lending a sense of repose and quality to the area. The Church and Vicarage grounds are fringed by mature deciduous trees and form an island site enclosed by Church Street, Harrison Street, Queen Street and Granvile Street … The Church Street and Queen Street frontages are lined by two storey stone built terraced houses, of about 1900, some with front bays and gables to the street, creating a rhythmic quality in the street scene. The Harrison Street frontage is lined by a single-storey stone built wall of the weaving shed to Queen Street Mill and by the main frontage of Primrose Mill … The whole area forms a wooded “square” centering on the Church and Vicarage and includes the main elements of a typical Lancashire Textile settlement at the turn of the century, all in remarkably authentic condition”. 1 https://content.historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/conservation-area-designation-appraisal- management-advice-note-1/heag040-conservation-area-designation-appraisal-and-management.pdf/ 4 Harle Syke Conservation Area Appraisal – Published April 2018 1.12 The designated Conservation Area was extended in 1985 to include the original core of Harle Syke along Burnley Road including Oxford Mill (originally Harle Syke Mill 1856), the mills at the centre of the village (Walshaw Mill and Kings Mill and their chimneys), the area of terraced housing dating from the turn