WEB NEWS - 31 JANUARY 2005

PLANNING

Boots, Ty Glas, Llanishen, Cardiff
Planning permission has been granted on appeal allowing Boots to occupy a unit at the Ty Glas Retail Park in north Cardiff. Cardiff Council refused permission for an amendment of a goods condition, arguing against the application on need, sequential and policy grounds. The Council expressed a particular concern about precedent. However, the Inspector agreed with the evidence presented on behalf of Boots that there is a demonstrable need, that no adverse impact would arise and therefore there was no harm to the Council’s policies. CgMs presented the retail and planning evidence.

For further information please contact Malcolm Honour at malcolm.honour@cgms.co.uk

Grade II Listed Public House, South Woodford
On 13th January 2005 the London Borough of Redbridge resolved to grant planning permission for the erection of a three storey building, comprising a restaurant/bar use at ground floor with ten flats above. The resolution to grant was subject to a legal agreement relating to a contribution to education provision in the area.

The South Woodford site has been used for many years as a car park for The George Public House; at the junction of George Lane and High Road. The George Public House is a Grade II listed building and the George Lane/Shrubberies Conservation Area lies to the south-east of the site. The design of the proposed building was therefore very carefully considered, so that it is sympathetic to the surrounding historic environment.

For further information please contact John Brooks on john.brooks@cgms.co.uk

Mixed Use Scheme – Erith South Masterplan Site
A unanimous decision for a resolution to grant planning permission was granted at Committee on 13th January for the development of part of the Erith South Masterplan Site. The application was made by Hexagon Housing for the redevelopment of the site to include 1222 m2 of retail use, 650 m2 of community use, training and resources facilities, 106 mixed tenure residential units and 140 parking spaces. The scheme incorporated the relocation of the existing library at Walnut Tree Road to this site. The ground and mezzanine floors, which are to be used for training and resources facilities, will be run by Bexley Council for use by residents and businesses within the Borough.

The comments made by Committee Members were without exception positive. They praised the design itself as exactly what they were looking for as a Council and also the principle of creating a new civic heart with - as they put it - the library as the jewel of the development.

For further information please contact Valerie Scott on valerie.scott@cgms.co.uk or Natalie Morris on natalie.morris@cgms.co.uk

GENERAL

The Gaming Bill - Casinos
The Gaming Bill was introduced on 18th October 2004. The Bill proposes the replacement of the entire existing British law on gambling and has significant implications on the development of casinos. Please click on the Bulletin link to find out more.

CgMs have prepared a News Bulletin on the above which can be viewed from the link below.

The Gaming Bill

For further information please contact Sarah Stevens on sarah.stevens@cgms.co.uk

ARCHAEOLOGY

Triangle Site, Station Road, Cambridge
In December 2004 Laing Homes secured planning permission for a residential scheme on this prominent site close to Cambridge station. CgMs have been advising Laing Homes on the archaeological implications of this scheme since September 2002. Following the completion of a desk-based assessment and a programme of evaluation trenching, CgMs demonstrated that the site had only limited archaeological potential. Although Cambridgeshire County Council initially required the excavation of part of the site, CgMs successfully negotiated a reduction in the scope of this requirement to a watching brief as a condition of planning permission.

For further information please contact Rob Bourn at rob.bourn@cgms.co.uk

Northampton Town Centre
Mike Dawson, CgMs in the Midlands, is part of the successful design team, headed by Latham Architects and including colleagues from Arups and Knight Frank, appointed by Northampton Borough Council to prepare the master plan for one of the last undeveloped parts of Northampton Town Centre. The Freeschool Lane area is presently in mixed use with significant dereliction, it is also a Scheduled Ancient monument and in the core of the Saxon town centre. Mike Dawson will be preparing an archaeology Desk Based Assessment, Deposit Survey and Landscape Characterisation study as the preamble to formulating the parameters for scheduled monument consent applications and further site based evaluation.

- Click on image to enlarge -

For further information please contact Mike Dawson at mike.dawson@cgms.co.uk

HISTORIC BUILDINGS

Bow Street Magistrates Court and Police Station
CgMs are currently undertaking a detailed assessment of the Grade II Listed Magistrates Court and Police Station, Westminster, on behalf of architects Douglas Wallace. The assessment is considering the architectural and historic interest of the building as a whole in addition to a room-by-room analysis of the interior features and fixtures and fittings. The building, infamous for its associations with Oscar Wilde amongst others, is subject to review for redevelopment through conversion. Accordingly a better understanding of the historic and architectural interest is required.

College of North West London, Kilburn
CgMs have recently undertaken an assessment of the existing buildings forming the Kilburn campus of the College of North West London, formerly the Kilburn Polytechnic. One of the three buildings is a locally listed college building dating from 1903 which Crest Nicholson (London) Ltd, in collaboration with the college, are redeveloping to secure the development of a much needed replacement college building.

For further information on either of the above projects please contact Jon Lowe on jon.lowe@cgms.co.uk

Guildford Casino
Guildford Borough Council refused Planning Permission and Conservation Area Consent for the redevelopment of three locally listed buildings in the Bridge Street Conservation Area in Guildford. As part of the development team, CgMs provided expert witness on historic buildings issues on behalf of the developer, who had applied for permission to build a five-storey casino to a contemporary design, with copper and terracotta cladding, and with glass "sails" along the frontage. The Inspector accepted the evidence of CgMs that the locally listed buildings were of little historic interest and did not make a contribution to the conservation area such that there should be a presumption in favour of their preservation. He also accepted other evidence that demonstrated that there would be no harm to the character or appearance of the conservation area, and the appeals were allowed.

Burghley Park
South Kesteven District Council refused Planning Permission for an outline proposal to construct up to 17,500 square meters of single storey buildings for B1 use on land on the north side of Barnack Road, just outside Burghley Park. Burghley Park is listed Grade II* on English Heritage's Register of Parks and Gardens, and it contains Burghley House, a Grade I listed building constructed during the 16th century by the Cecil family. English Heritage and third parties objected to the development, claiming that it would have a harmful impact on the setting of Burghley Park and Burghley House, as well as on the Stamford Conservation Area, and on a Scheduled Ancient Monument called St Leonard's Priory. It was also claimed that there would be harmful impacts on other Grade II listed buildings, and on another conservation area and historic park at Uffington to the east. CgMs provided evidence on historic buildings, within a team that was brought together to address a range of issues including whether or not the proposal accorded with the development plan, and the effect of traffic. The appeal was allowed, and the Inspector agreed with the CgMs evidence, concluding that "the proposed development would cause no harm to the setting of any listed building, historic park or conservation area, and would therefore comply with local and national planning policy".

For further information on either of the above projects please contact Jonathan Edis on jonathan.edis@cgms.co.uk

Brighton International Arena
CgMs has been appointed as part of the team behind Brighton International Arena, which aims to bring an international standard ice arena and multi-functional stadium to the city. The proposed arena occupies the site of the former Black Rock swimming pool at the eastern end of the city directly adjoining the Grade I listed terraces of the Kemp Town conservation area. It is one of the stated aims of the proposals to ‘preserve and enhance the character of the conservation area and the setting of the listed buildings’ and this is the key role that CgMs will be playing in the project.

For further information please contact Nicholas Doggett at nicholas.doggett@cgms.co.uk

GENERAL

CgMs success at R.T.P.I. Quiz Night
The London Branch of the R.T.P.I hosted a Quiz night in connection with its AGM on Tuesday 7th December. The event took place at the London Canal Museum and tested Planners’ wits on a broad range of subject matter including architecture, planning and building and world cities. The highlight of the night for the winners, CgMs Limited (Planning Development, Archaeological and Historic Buildings Consultants), was the music round which involved linking songs to PPG titles.

For further information please contact Jo Upton at joanne.upton@cgms.co.uk