Development Control - TrustNews July 1991
Recession has resulted in a crop of applications to extend and alter houses and a dearth of larger projects. The scheme that will have the most effect on Winchester, Peninsula Barracks, is still wending its way through the planning processes, with an amended scheme at present under consideration. We understand that this contains alterations that go some way to meeting many previous criticisms, including a reduction of fifteen residential units and a re-designed St James Crescent, and the Trust is seeking a presentation of the amended application. The other major change in this scheme is that the City Council has reduced its parking requirement from the original three hundred additional spaces for general use to one hundred to provide parking for the visitors to the museum on the Upper Barracks, and while the Trust still feels this to be unnecessary - as well as impracticable, (for how is it proposed to prevent casual shoppers rather than museum visitors using it?) - it does feel gratified that it was instrumental in helping to bring about this change of mind by the City Councillors. The Trust has campaigned for a Park and Ride scheme for Winchester for about fifteen years and feels very strongly that to provide more central car parking would preempt any possibility of Park and Ride being a success, besides exacerbating traffic conditions in the area.
Another scheme which might also threaten the viability of a possible Park and Ride scheme for Winchester, is the County Council's proposal to build thirty residential units on part of the former Montgomery School, a site that the recent consultant's report had suggested was a good place for parking in such a scheme. Since the report was commissioned by the County Council and the City Council (with a financial contribution from the Trust), it seems unwisely precipitate to commit this land to housing before the subject of Park and Ride has been fully discussed, and the Trust and the City Council have both raised objections to this proposal. A question of the right hand not knowing what the left is doing at the County, perhaps?
Economic recession appears to have brought a halt to work on Century House and 32-33 Jewry Street, where planning permission has been granted on condition that the present Jewry Street facades are retained. It had been proposed that the basements should be backfilled, but the Trust successfully prevented this happening, for it is believed that the cellars may be older than the buildings above and that they might therefore be of future archaeological interest. The applicant has also agreed to the Trust's suggestions that, where possible, the internal fittings should be salvaged rather than scrapped, and that a photographic record should be made of the interior before it is gutted. A member of the Committee is liaising with the architects to see whether we can help with the photographic recordings, but this has been postponed until work on the scheme restarts.
The Trust was also able to ensure that the original shop front of 11 Parchment Street would be retained, but regrets that it was unable to save the rest of the building as it stood. A survey of the building was commissioned by the Trust, and it was discovered that much of the building was indeed unstable and could not be retained, but we understand that the external appearance will almost exactly replicate the present building.
The Trust was given an interesting presentation of the proposed new acute mental illness unit at Melbury Lodge, Royal Hampshire Hospital. The Trust's main concern here is the landscaping and trees, which are referred to in the Landscape Committee's report below.
Water Lane
After another presentation, a detailed objection was made to an application to demolish 3 & 5 Water Lane, adjoining Winchester City Mill (below). The scheme was put forward by the Youth Hostels Association, who need to move the men's accommodation to the same side of the river as the rest of their operation, because this would then allow the national Trust, who own the City Mill, to expand their activities there. The YHA proposed some internal alterations to the Mill, to which the Trust had no objection, but they also wished to demolish and replace the two early 19th century terrace cottages to the north of the Mill. These modest cottages are in themselves of no great beauty or architectural merit, but they are closely linked, physically and historically, with the City Mill, and they have a visual group value with both the Mill and the rest of the buildings in Water Lane. The design of the building that was to replace them was far too elaborate for its surroundings, and it was felt that a flint wall surmounted by a timber upper storey would not have been employed traditionally in the way that was proposed. The external appearance of the section linking the new building with the Mill was especially disliked by the members attending the presentation, since its materials and design were considered too pretentious for its simple surroundings. The Trust's comments were later found to be in line with those of both the Hampshire Mills Group and the National Trust, and we await with interest to hear about future proposals for this scheme.
Although the Trust's role may sometimes bring it into dispute with official current planning opinion, it also aims to work with those responsible for preserving Winchester's character and environment. It is therefore satisfying to know that on occasions our comments or objections are helpful when planning decisions are being reached. We believe we were of assistance to the planning officers in their battle with McDonalds over their shop front for the site on the corner of St Georges Street and Upper Brook Street: the original design was little short of horrific, with a marble facade (so typical of Winchester?) and plastic stick-on lettering, and vast plate-glass windows. What has been installed may not please everyone, but members can be assured that what was proposed was very much worse!
The Trust strongly supported the City at the appeal against its refusal to grant a change of use from residential to retail for the top floor of the Brooks development, stating that it felt that the residential accommodation was an important component of the original scheme and that the proposed changed was contrary to the area local plan and an example of 'back-door' application. Sadly, the Department of the Environment decided to allow the appeal. We also supported the City in the appeal against its refusal to allow a two storey side extension to 10 King Alfred Place since, although the proposed extension had been imagina¬tively designed, it was felt that it could set a precedent for future development in the sensitive Hyde Abbey area of the city. A decision has still to be made on this appeal.
Towards the end of May, members of the Development Control and Landscape Committees had a useful meeting with officers of the City's planning department, and it is hoped that this will be the first of a regular exchange of views with opportunities for more consultation and co-operation. Among the subjects discussed at this meeting - which is of increasing concern to the Development Control and Landscape Committees - is the overall appearance of the principal streets of the City: such matters as street furniture, road signs, lighting, and landscaping in general.
An improvement in the standard of shopfronts, facias, lettering and signs could do much to enhance the environment of shop¬ping streets and the Committees believe that they have already achieved some success in this field.
Particularly welcome has been the leading role that City Planning Officers have taken in the production by The English Historic Towns Forum, of an excellent booklet 'Shopfronts: Advertisements in Historic Towns'*. This publication aims to enlist the co-operation of retailers in "improving the environmental quality of traditional, shopping centres" and, it is hoped, will be followed up with further material, specific to Winchester, to give guidance and encouragement to retailers to play their part in improving the appearance of our historic shopping streets. The Trust has offered its support to the planning officers in this project.
*Available at the City Planning Office, Avalon House, Chesil Street. Price £2.50.