Agenda item

(Safer, Greener & Transport Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-069-2015/16).

(1)        That the adoption and publication of the Character Appraisal and Management Plan for the Waltham Abbey Conservation Area be agreed;

(2)        That the boundary amendment to the Waltham Abbey Conservation Area be approved; and

(3)        That a further report be submitted to the Cabinet outlining the possible steps that could be taken by the Council to protect Thrift Cottage.

The Portfolio Holder for Safer, Greener & Transport presented a report on the Waltham Abbey Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Plan.

The Portfolio Holder reminded the Cabinet that, by law, Local Planning Authorities were required to designate conservation areas and, following these designations, proposals for the preservation and enhancement of these areas. The proposals took the form of conservation area management plans and it was considered best practice to accompany these management plans with character appraisals which charted the history of an area, the reasons for its designation, and the key elements of its special interest. Character Appraisals often preceded Management Plans as they provided the knowledge and understanding required to inform the creation of a successful and meaningful Management Plan.

The Portfolio Holder stated that the Character Appraisal and Management Plan for the Waltham Abbey Conservation Area had been prepared following due process and was now ready to be adopted and published for use by the general public (particularly residents), the Council’s Development Management Section, and any other interested parties. Once adopted, the document would become a material consideration in the planning process and would inform the decisions made relating to proposed developments within the conservation area. As part of the appraisal process, the suitability of the conservation area boundary was assessed and it was intended to remove two areas from the Waltham Abbey Conservation Area.

The Deputy Leader, a local Member for Waltham Abbey High Beach, broadly supported the report and thanked the Officers for their efforts. However, the Deputy Leader expressed grave concerns about the removal of Thrift Hall and Thrift Cottage from the Conservation Area; the Cottage in particular was in an extremely parlous state and enquired what the Council could do to prevent this listed building from falling down. The Portfolio Holder for Leisure & Community Services added that the Cottage was currently for sale and the owner would like to demolish the existing building. The Conservation Officer outlined a number of measures that the Council could take, including serving notice on the Owner under the Listed Buildings Act or issuing a Compulsory Purchase Order and repairing the Cottage itself. The Leader of Council suggested that a further report should be submitted to the Cabinet outlining all the options available to the Council in relation to Thrift Cottage, and this was agreed.

Decision:

(1)        That the adoption and publication of the Character Appraisal and Management Plan for the Waltham Abbey Conservation Area be agreed;

(2)        That the boundary amendment to the Waltham Abbey Conservation Area be approved; and

(3)        That a further report be submitted to the Cabinet outlining the possible steps that could be taken by the Council to protect Thrift Cottage.

Reasons for Decision:

Under the provisions of section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, Local Planning Authorities were required to designate areas of ‘special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it was desirable to preserve or enhance’. Section 71 of the same Act stated that the Local Planning Authority had a duty to ‘publish proposals for the preservation and enhancement’ of their conservation areas. This took the form of a Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Plan. Therefore, it was a key statutory duty that this document was published.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

To not publish the character appraisal. However, the Council would not be fulfilling one of its statutory duties under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, and the lack of a character appraisal could make planning decisions within these areas less consistent and more difficult to defend at appeal.