WEB NEWS - 30 JUNE 2004

HISTORIC BUILDINGS

Dropmore Estate, Buckinghamshire
CgMs Heritage Team has undertaken an assessment of the architectural and historic interest of the site, together with an archaeological desk based assessment. The semi-ruinous Dropmore House is a Grade I listed, late 18th century house, with 12 listed buildings within its grounds. These grounds are Grade II listed on the English Heritage register of parks and gardens

For further information on this project please contact Jon Lowe (jon.lowe@cgms.co.uk)

Herts and Essex Hospital, Bishops Stortford
CgMs’ Historic Buildings Team nears completion of its recording work on the former Bishop’s Stortford Union Workhouse, which lies at the core of Herts and Essex Hospital. The original workhouse buildings, which are Grade II listed, are the subject of a residential redevelopment scheme from Barratt North London, who propose the demolition of redundant buildings, and conversion of significant structures. CgMs continues is evaluation and assessment of former workhouse sites at Queen Hospital, Croydon, previously home to the Croydon Union Workhouse. Tina Garratt who is working on the project previously spent a year working on the national thematic survey of Poor Law Buildings for the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England.

For further information on this project please contact Tina Garratt (tina.garratt@cgms.co.uk)

NEW INSTRUCTIONS

ODPM
CgMs has been instructed by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) to provide planning advice in association with the proposed regional Fire Control Centres. The advice provided by CgMs will be used by the ODPM to assess the suitability of sites put forward by developers and site owners. It is intended that the eight regions outside London will have their own Fire Control Centre. The new Centres will replace the existing control centres and provide a fully integrated national control resource.

For further information please contact either John Brooks (john.brooks@cgms.co.uk) or Chris Hicks (chris.hicks@cgms.co.uk)

ARCHAEOLOGY

Barking Reach
CgMs has recently been engaged by Bellway Homes, English Partnerships and the London Development Agency to provide archaeological advice on the regeneration of this Thames Gateway site where around 11,000 new homes and mixed-use development is proposed on the former Barking Reach marshes.

Meanwhile, south of the Thames, the company continues to advise Land Securities on their regeneration of the Eastern Quarry and Ebbsfleet areas of North Kent.

For further information on these projects please contact Paul Chadwick (paul.chadwick@cgms.co.uk)

RECENT SUCCESSES

PLANNING

Hammersmith & Fulham
CgMs has obtained planning permission for a scheme in the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham for the redevelopment of the site at Exhibition Garages, Addision Bridge Place. London, W14. The scheme involved demolition of the existing garages and erection of a part two/part three storey building providing 2,857 square metres of floorspace, a residential unit, and the provision of five parking spaces. The site has had a controversial history, and planning permission was first granted in 1991 at Inquiry, and 2 subsequent schemes have been refused permission also at Inquiry. The permission obtained by CgMs was for a variation to the 1991 scheme.

This scheme illustrates well the current strengths and weaknesses of the planning system. While the LPA processed the application in a fairly quick time, permission was granted subject to 21 conditions. The original appeal scheme only had 16!

The other interesting point is that there was no Section 106 Agreement. This was because the scheme proposed the redevelopment of an employment site, and those familiar with the LPA’s policies will know that they effectively preclude development for anything else. In these circumstances, the scheme fully complied with the adopted UDP, and justifies the grant of planning permission on its own merits. Under the new tariff system of course, such considerations will no longer apply, and a simple tariff will be applied to new floorspace at the rate of £x per y m2. The tariff will therefore represent a significant extra cost for landowners and developers to absorb.

For further information on this project please contact Greg Dowden on (gregory.dowden@cgms.co.uk)

Braemar Mansions, Cornwall Gardens, London
Planning Permission was recently granted by the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea for a ground floor conservatory at Braemar Mansions, set within the Cornwall Gardens Conservation Area.

This planning permission was the third of a series that CgMs have obtained on behalf of Begere Ltd, who have been carrying out a refurbishment of this stately mansion block for over a year. CgMs successfully negotiated obtaining planning permission for a roof terrace and amenity room within the main roof area in January 2004, despite such proposals often being resisted by the Council on grounds of residential amenity.

More unusually, planning permission was granted in June 2003 for the conversion of the building from twelve to six self-contained flats. The local planning authority was initially opposed to the proposal but CgMs managed to successfully demonstrate that the scheme accorded with local planning policy, despite the net loss in number of residential units.

For more information on this project please contact Will Thompson (will.thompson@cgms.co.uk)

RTPI Planning Convention and Exhibition 2004 24-25 June
CgMs have taken a stand (No.30) at the RTPI Planning Convention and Exhibition 2004 at the QEII Conference Centre in London on 24-25 June. Members of CgMs Heritage Group will be at the stand throughout the convention which promises to be an excellent networking opportunity. If any website readers are delegates and would like to say hello, we'd be delighted to see them.

For further information please contact Jonathan Edis (jonathan.edis@cgms.co.uk)