Draft Local Plan-Part 2 Site Allocations

Object

Representation ID: 22561

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Historic England

This site includes the grade II listed 77-79 Barrack Lane, part of the City Walls and towers which is a scheduled monument and also the western part of the site lies within the City Centre Conservation Area.

This is the immediate setting of part of the Scheduled City wall, the grade I listed St James’s Mill, the grade II listed numbers 77-79 Barrack Street and the grade I listed former church of St James. It is also in the wider setting of a number of other heritage assets including Norwich cathedral. Any development of the site has the potential to impact upon these heritage assets and their settings The site was most recently occupied by Jarrold’s printing works which incorporated the 1836 textile mill and an abutting modern building which now contains the printing museum. The site has much earlier origins and stands between the river Wensum and the medieval city wall. This section of the wall ran between the tower on Silver Road to another on the waterfront. As well as River Lane, a street running immediately inside the wall, the site featured a number of elongated property boundaries stretching back from the river reflecting the value of waterfront commercial property. Within the walls was a densely built mixture of domestic and commercial property with the part of the application site outside the walls less developed with garden areas surviving through to the 20th century. In the 19th century the commercial property along the waterfront was redeveloped sometimes without heed to the medieval boundaries with more substantial building of which St James’ mill is a good example. This tall, elegant building establishes a scale of development on the waterfront which other modern building adjacent has respected. At the northern side of the site the small houses of the 18th and early 19th centuries which characterised parts of Norwich before the Victorian period are represented by numbers 77-79 Barrack Street. These are remarkable survivals and reflect the scale of much of the historic building in this area. The 19th and early 20th century building on the northern side of Barrack Street is also domestic in scale while the former church of St James (the Norwich Puppet Theatre) is a relatively modest building of the 15th century with a low octagonal tower.

Historic England is broadly supportive of the principle of redevelopment of this site, providing it is of an appropriate scale and massing and conserves and enhances the heritage assets.
We suggest a more detailed HIA is prepared for this site. We welcome the reference to the City wall in bullet point 2 (although delete the word ancient as we would normally refer to these as scheduled monuments now). We suggest that you specially refer to the grade II listed 77-79 Barrack Street.

Suggested Change:
Delete ancient
Refer specifically to 77-79 Barrack Street.
We suggest a more detailed HIA is prepared for this site.

Object

Representation ID: 22562

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Historic England

The site lies within the City Centre Conservation area and there are a number of grade II listed buildings nearby. Any development of the site has the potential to impact upon these heritage assets and their settings.
Historic England is broadly supportive of the principle of redevelopment of this site, providing it is of an appropriate scale and massing and conserves and enhances the heritage assets. This should be reflected in the policy.
We welcome the reference to the Conservation Area and other heritage assets in bullet point 1.

Suggested Change:
We suggest including reference to significance in the policy. Include reference to scale and massing in policy.

Object

Representation ID: 22563

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Historic England

The site lies within the Norwich City Centre Conservation Area. To the east of the site lies the grade II listed 75 Magdalen Street, to the south lie numerous listed buildings, the nearest of which being Doubty's Hospital also listed at grade II. To the north west lies a collect of listed buildings including the grade I listed Church of St Augustine with a further group of listed buildings along Magdalen Street to the north east of the site.
Any development of the site has the potential to impact upon these heritage assets and their settings.
Historic England is broadly supportive of the principle of redevelopment of this site, providing it is of an appropriate scale and massing and conserves and enhances the heritage assets.
However, we object to the allocation as currently proposed.
It is our view that the scale of the proposed development would be inconsistent with the council’s development management policies, as well as with broad strategic objectives, because it would entail development which would cause severe harm to the character of the city centre conservation area and harm to a variety of other designated heritage assets of the highest significance. The adopted SPD for this site placed a wide range of requirements on the site which we consider would be difficult to achieve at an appropriate density that would conserve and enhance the historic environment
In particular, we consider that the indicative capacity of 1200 dwellings cannot be achieved without harm to the historic environment.
Instead we suggest that the allocation should be based on the reinstatement of the lost historic street pattern – as envisaged by the policies in the conservation area appraisal. It should rest on an understanding of how mid- to high density development can be accommodated in a manner appropriate to the wider character and grain of the city. Elements fundamentally incompatible with this – notably the provision of c. 600 car parking spaces – should be omitted. Finally the dwelling capacity should be reduced.
We commend Ash Sakula’s approach https://www.ashsak.com/projects/anglia-square-norwich
as a worked illustration of how Anglia Square could be redeveloped so as to provide the facilities required, within a new community in a sustainable manner that conserves and enhances the historic environment and restores the former street pattern of the area.
More specifically in relation to the current wording of the allocation, there is currently no mention of the Conservation Area within the policy. We suggest this be amended.

Bullet point 6 refers to a landmark building or buildings to provide a focal point for the northern city centre. We have concerns regarding this bullet and in particularly the lack of clarity regarding an appropriate scale and massing of such development. We do however welcome the need for any such development to be sited to conserve and enhance heritage assets and their setting (although again we would recommend the inclusion of the word significance).
However, it is about more than just individual heritage assets and their settings but extends to the character and skyline of the city as a whole.
To that end we suggest that further work needs to be done to provide an appropriate evidence base for a tall buildings strategy for the city (see Appendix A comments on tall buildings)..
Clearly this site has been the subject of a recent Planning Inquiry in which Historic England objected to a scheme not dissimilar to that envisaged by the proposed allocation. The outcome of the Inquiry will clearly be crucial in determining an appropriate way forward for this site and we suggest that the wording of the allocation will need to be revisited in light of this.

Suggested Change:
Include reference to the City Centre Conservation Area and other heritage assets in the policy.
Amend policy to reduce indicative dwelling capacity, remove requirement for car parking, and ensure the reinstatement of the historic street pattern and a more appropriate density of development to reflect the grain of the area and to conserve and enhance heritage assets.
The policy will need to be reviewed following the outcome of the Planning Inquiry for this site.
Undertake a tall buildings study to inform an appropriate strategy for such development within the City – see comments in Appendix A.

Object

Representation ID: 22564

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Historic England

This site lies within the Norwich City Centre Conservation Area and would appear to be immediately adjacent to the grade II listed 47 and 49 Colegate and Woolpack Public House. Any development of this site has the potential to impact upon these designated heritage assets and their settings.
Historic England is broadly supportive of the principle of redevelopment of this site, providing it is of an appropriate scale and massing and conserves and enhances the heritage assets. At street level, it will be important for the new development on the rest of the site to reinforce the scale, form and grain of the historic streets around.
We welcome the reference to the Conservation Area in bullet point 2. We suggest that specific mention is also made of the adjacent listed buildings. The policy should be amended to read that preserves and enhances the significance City Centre Conservation Area and nearby designated heritage assets including 47 and 49 Colegate and the Woolpack Public House, all listed at grade II including any contribution made to that significance by setting.
We welcome the commitment in bullet point 4 to the protection of key views of the tower of St George’s Colegate.

Suggested Change:
Specific mention should be made of the adjacent listed buildings. The policy should be amended to read that preserves and enhances the significance City Centre Conservation Area and nearby designated heritage assets including 47 and 49 Colegate and the Woolpack Public House, all listed at grade II including any contribution made to that significance by setting.

Object

Representation ID: 22565

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Historic England

This site lies within the Norwich City Centre Conservation Area. There is a grade II listed building, the Remains of the Church of St Bartholomew, to the north of the site and a number of grade II listed buildings on the opposite side of Ber Street. The Grade I listed Church of St John de Sepulchre lies to the south of the site and the site forms part of the setting of this church.
Any development of the site therefore has the potential to impact upon these designated heritage assets and their settings.
Historic England is broadly supportive of the principle of redevelopment of this site, providing it is of an appropriate scale and massing and conserves and enhances the heritage assets. This should be reflected in the policy.
We welcome the reference to the Conservation area and heritage assets including the Church of St John within bullet point 1. The policy wording would be further improved by reference to significance.

Suggested Change:
We recommend amending the wording of bullet point 1 to refer to significance.
Include reference to scale and massing in policy.

Object

Representation ID: 22566

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Historic England

This site lies within the Norwich City Centre Conservation Area. This site is an important one in this part of the Norwich conservation area and is in the setting of several listed buildings. It forms part of the south side of Colegate, the principle historic street of what was once the Norvic settlement and which contains numerous important historic buildings including several listed ones. A group of grade II listed buildings are situated on Colegate at the north end of the site as well as the parish church of St George (grade I listed) and the grade II* listed Bacon's House and numbers 2-9 Octagon Court. The site also lies in an interesting position in the conservation area where the nature of historic building changes. Modern development between Colegate and the river (Friar's Quay) is akin in scale and form to the generally low-rise, domestic scale of development on the north side of the River stretching along Colegate eastwards to Magdalen Street. The Friar's Quay development is a very successful and early example of modern residential development in an historic city which responds to the historic 'grain' of development from a time when development commonly disregarded it. To the west side of the application site is St Andrew's Street, also characterised by relatively modest, pitched roofed development, both historic (including the grade II listed numbers 22-25 and later infill matching it. This street marks the point at which the character of historic development changes. The western side of St Andrew's Street features a former 19th century factory building filling a corner plot on Colegate. This is similar in form, though smaller than the 19th century Art College building across the river to the south. Upstream from the college is modern development of a similar scale. St Andrew's Street can therefore be seen as a 'hinge' point in this part of the conservation area and the application site being to the east of it falls within the area characterised by more domestic scale development, both old and new.
Any development of the site therefore has the potential to impact upon a number of heritage assets and their settings.
We consider that there is scope for development of this site, but it will need to be of an appropriate scale and grain for this site. This should be reflected in the policy.
We welcome reference to the Conservation Area and heritage assets and their settings in bullet point 1 although again suggest that the wording is slightly amended to include the word significance. The site itself also formerly contained a non-conformist chapel dating from the 18th century. The impact on buried archaeology of the development will need to be given full consideration.

Suggested Change:
We recommend amending the wording of bullet point 1 to refer to significance.
Include reference to scale, grain and massing in policy.
We also suggest reference to buried archaeology given the former non-conformist chapel on the site.

Support

Representation ID: 22567

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Historic England

This site lies just outside of the Thorpe Ridge Conservation Area. Any development of the site therefore has the potential to impact upon the setting of the Conservation Area.
We welcome the reference to the Conservation Area in the policy.

Object

Representation ID: 22568

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Historic England

Part of this site lies within the Bracondale Conservation Area. The site includes the Scheduled Monument, Carrow Priory and grade I listed Carrow Abbey, as well as several grade II listed buildings including Carrow House and several Carrow Works buildings. There are also a number of grade II buildings nearby on the opposite side of Bracondale. Any development of this site has the potential to affect these designated heritage assets and their settings.
Historic England is broadly supportive of the principle of redevelopment of this site, providing it is of an appropriate scale and massing and conserves and enhances the heritage assets.
There is however currently no mention of these heritage assets in either the policy or supporting text. We therefore suggest the inclusion of wording referencing the assets and the need to preserve and enhance the significance of these assets (including any contribution made to that significance by setting).
We suggest that open space be provided between the Abbey and the river to reconnect the Abbey to the river and to enhance the setting of the abbey.
This is a sensitive site in terms of the potential impact upon these multiple heritage assets, some of which are highly graded. We therefore have some concerns about the allocation of this site. In particular we question the capacity of the site.
We suggest that a more detailed Heritage Impact Assessment be undertaken to assess the impact of the proposed development upon the significance of these heritage assets, to establish the suitability or otherwise of the site and inform the extent of the developable area (and hence capacity of the site) and to establish appropriate mitigation and enhancement should the site be found suitable. If the site is found suitable, the findings of the HIA should then inform the policy wording.

Suggested Changes:
We suggest the inclusion of wording referencing the assets and the need to preserve and enhance the significance of these assets (including any contribution made to that significance by setting).
We suggest that a more detailed Heritage Impact Assessment be undertaken to assess the impact of the proposed development upon the significance of these heritage assets, to establish the suitability or otherwise of the site and to establish appropriate mitigation and enhancement should the site be found suitable. If the site is found suitable, the findings of the HIA should then inform the policy wording.
It might also be helpful to illustrate proposed mitigation in the form of a concept diagram for the site e.g. showing where open space and landscaping would be located.

Object

Representation ID: 22569

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Historic England

This site is located within the City Centre Conservation Area. There are a number of listed buildings nearby including St Mary’s Church and St Martin at Oak Church, both listed at grade I, and Folly House and Pineapple House listed at grade II.
We welcome reference to the City Centre Conservation Area listed buildings and locally listed buildings within the bullet points.
We recognise that this site is suitable for redevelopment, but any such development must be of an appropriate design, scale and massing given the sensitivity of this location in heritage terms, between two grade I listed churches.
To that end we suggest that we suggest that a more detailed Heritage Impact Assessment be undertaken.
We understand that this site has planning consent which broadly established the scale of development for the site.

Suggested Change:
We suggest that a more detailed Heritage Impact Assessment be undertaken.

Object

Representation ID: 22570

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Historic England

This site lies within the Norwich City Centre Conservation Area. 4 and 8 Ber Street, just to the north of the site are listed at grade II.
Any development of the site therefore has the potential to impact upon a number of heritage assets and their settings.
There is currently no reference to the City Centre Conservation Area or nearby listed buildings in the policy or supporting text.
We consider that there is scope for development of this site, but it will need to be of an appropriate scale and grain for this site. The scale of any new development should reflect that of the neighbouring properties

Suggested Change:
We suggest the inclusion of wording referencing the assets and the need to preserve and enhance the significance of these assets (including any contribution made to that significance by setting).
We also suggest amending bullet point 3 with the addition of the words ‘and the scale of any new development should reflect that of the neighbouring properties.