Application Recommended for Approval APP/2017/0527 Briercliffe Ward Listed Building Application Proposed repair and maintenance work to Grade I Listed chimney QUEEN STREET MILL QUEEN STREET BRIERCLIFFE Background: Queen Street Mill is a steam‐powered weaving shed located in the mill village of Harle Syke above the town of Burnley, Lancashire and was built around 1894. Today, with its sister museum at Helmshore, Haslingden it forms part of the Museum of Lancashire Textiles Industry. The Mill is quite unique as it still contains its own working steam engine which powers original looms by intact drive systems. The mill was built and run by a village co‐operative and continued to operate until 1982. Recognised for its historic importance the site was bought by Burnley Borough Council, and when faced with later financial uncertainty taken over by Lancashire County Council in 1997. Set beside its mill lodge on the edge of open countryside the complex typifies the Lancashire Cotton Industry of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The site contains a Scheduled Ancient Monument, Queen Street Mill Engine, which is currently being rescheduled under English Heritage’s revision of the National Heritage List, List ID 1005085. The scheduled site consists of the engine and its house and boiler house and the flue and chimney. The buildings are listed, Grade 1. The site is within the Harle Syke Conservation Area. The Grade 1 listed chimney at Burnley Queen Street Mill Museum is circular in plan, constructed from red brickwork and is thirty five metres tall, four metres diameter at its base and tapers to just over two metres at the top. The application proposes repair works to the chimney include adding structural vertical metal straps above the 20 metre point which will connect the existing horizontal mild steel restraining straps. The new vertical straps will be identical to existing vertical straps that are around the 27 metre point on the chimney. Parts of the high level chimney will be repointed to match the existing with mastic pointed finish. The existing mortar capping was installed in about 2000 and is unsubstantial. This is being replaced with a more substantial PC concrete capping. Following a loose brick falling from the top of the chimney in November 2016, a 10 metre safety exclusion zone has been enforced around the base of the chimney. This exclusion zone incorporates the main entrance to the museum. The proposed repair works to the chimney will make it safe and allow the exclusion zone to be removed, opening up the main museum entrance. Relevant Policies: Burnley Local Plan Second Review E10 – Alterations, extensions, change of use and development affecting Listed Buildings. Burnley’s Local Plan – Proposed Submission Document, July 2017 HE2 – Designated Heritage Assets Other material considerations The National Planning Policy Framework Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 Article 35 Statement The application as submitted was in accordance with the local plan policies and the National Planning Policy Framework and there was no need for any negotiation with the applicant. Site History: NOT/2014/0180 – LCC Consultation – Repairs to roofs and external fabric. Consultation Responses: Historic England – Historic England supports the application on heritage grounds. We consider that the application meets the requirements of the NPPF, in particular paragraph 131. Lancashire Archaeological Society – LAAS have noted the application and are satisfied that with the proposals. They ask that should the scheme be approved, any photographs taken during the repair work be sent to LAAS for inclusion on the Historic Environment Record (HER). Planning and Environmental Considerations: Justification for the Proposed Works In November 2016 a loose brick fell from the top of the thirty five metre tall chimney. In December 2016 Brook Edgley Specialist Services Limited inspected the chimney from a high level crane and took a photographic record of the chimney. They also removed 8 loose bricks from the top of the chimney to be replaced at a later date. In January 2017 Capstone Consulting Engineers (Conservation Accredited Structural Engineers) produced a structural report on the condition of the chimney with proposed maintenance recommendations. In July 2017 Bailey International Steeplejack Services attempted to access the very top of the chimney to carry out urgent remedial works to the cap and hanger band but due to the chimneys poor condition work had to stop as they could not safely and securely fix their temporary access ladders above the twenty metre point. After consultations with the Steeplejack, Capstone's and Lancashire County Councils Structural Engineers, it was determined that the original urgent repair works to the top of the chimney cannot now proceed without additional works being carried out to make safe the top section of chimney above this twenty metre point. Proposed Works The chimney has a series of horizontal mild steel restraining straps around the perimeter at approximately 2.5m intervals running up from the base to the top. The straps are formed in four sections with a bolt connection between each part. Three sets of horizontal restraining straps, approximately 8 metres from the top of the chimney, are connected together with vertical mild steel straps at approximately 600mm centres. The proposed works to the top fifteen metres of the chimney will include removing the restraining straps, refurbishing and refitting them. New mild steel vertical straps are to be added between all the horizontal straps in the top 15m section to match the existing. Once safe access is gained to the chimney the top fifteen metres is to be more closely examined and any defective/ missing pointing is to be replaced as necessary, matching the existing mortar exactly. The 'blocking' section (the top most piece of masonry) appears to have been rebuilt in recent years and has a very unsubstantial capping. The top 'head' section (the piece of masonry below the 'blocking' section) has open joints throughout and has loose brickwork. It is believed this is where a loose brick fell from in November 2016. It is proposed to dismantle the 'blocking' section and clean the bricks for reuse. Relay/rebed loose bricks to the top of 'head' section. Fit new precast concrete copings to the top of 'head' section, rebuild blocking section using the cleaned existing bricks and fit a new precast concrete coping to the very top of the chimney. Policy Considerations Policy E10 of the current Local Plan seeks to protect the character and historic interest of listed buildings. The National Planning Policy Framework (the Framework) states that local planning authorities should recognise that heritage assets are an irreplaceable resource and conserve them in a manner appropriate to their significance. Paragraph 134 of the NPPF considers that “Where a development proposal will lead to less than substantial harm to the significance of a designated heritage asset, this harm should be weighed against the public benefits of the proposal, including securing its optimum viable use.” Policy HE2 of the Emerging Local Plan considers proposals affecting Heritage Assets with the same considerations as the NPPF requires. Section 66 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 confers upon local planning authorities a duty to have special regard to the desirability of preserving the interest of a listed building or its setting. Conclusion The undertaking of the necessary urgent repair work will enable the applicant to undertake this and other essential repairs in the future. The proposed repairs and refurbishment work will prevent further deterioration of the chimney, as well as allowing the surrounding area to be made safe. The works will ensure the safe, secure and viable, long term maintenance of the chimney and the proposal is recommended accordingly. Recommendation: That Listed Building Consent be granted subject to the following conditions. Conditions 1. The works shall start within three years of the date of this consent. 2. The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the details contained within the following approved plans and reports: Drawing A01 (Location plans), Drawing A02 (Site Plan), Heritage Statement, Design and Access Statement, Structural Report dated January 2017 (Capstone Consulting Engineers), and Drg. No’s P632/SK 001, P632/SK 002, P632/SK 003, P632/SK 004, P632/SK 005, P632/SK 006, P632/SK 007, P632/SK 008, P632/SK 009 and P632/SK-SPEC. Reasons 1. Required to be imposed pursuant to Section 18 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended by Section 51 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. 2. To ensure the development is implemented in accordance with the approved plans and to avoid ambiguity. GDT 18/12/2017 .