The bi-monthly meeting of the SMDC Conservation Panel was held on 31 March 2009. After a quick change of room, we started the meeting. This panel is one of the best Council panels as it includes a number of external professional people with a wide range of backgrounds and expertise. Members are drawn from professional backgrounds such as architects and there are local groups represented like the Civic Society, the Historical Society, the Victorian Society etc. Of course there are also some elected members - mainly with an interest in planning - and I'm fortunate to have the pleasure of chairing the Conservation Panel.
The first application was for the conversion of an outbuilding at Caverswall into a residential dwelling. The outbuilding is fairly prominent and it was agreed that this would be acceptable. However, the panel asked that the building be retained in this same design with sensitive doors and windows placed into the current openings.
Next we moved to my home patch of Cheadle and an application for a new access, turning area and parking for three vehicles. On the face of it, nothing much to worry about. However, it would lead to the partial loss of an old wall. It would also lead to loss of views in one of the oldest parts of the Conservation Area. There was also some concern about the poor relation to the actual property in Watt Place. I personally believe this is about securing access for future development. The panel recommended refusal on this application.
It was back up north to Endon for the third application and St Luke's Church. This was for a new car park and landscaping - affecting the listed building and within the Conservation Area. The panel complimented the sympathetic works done by the church and it received a recommendation of approval.
A replacement farmhouse was next on the agenda at Draycott. Again, a simple application on the face of it but far from it in reality. This would have seen the demolition of an elongated building bordering the roadside with a replaced square building of somewhat overbearing and modern design. The scheme was supposed to blend in with two new properties down the road. While this would blend in, it would upset the listed building next door. Equally, it would upset the character of this area. Therefore, it was recommended for refusal. The applicants had cited the roadside location as a problem - in which my view would be don't by a building right next to the road!
It was back to Leek for application five and conversion of the Sea Lion pub into three dwellings. This sort of thing is getting more and more common with the demise of the pub trade. There were no major concerns as it was believed the pub was formerly three dwellings before being made into a pub. We asked that the windows be retained as they were (rather than the new style which wouldn't have related to the buildings) and we were also keen to see the downstairs pub window retained rather than being replaced unnecessarily. All recommended for approval.
Staying in Leek we moved to Maria Modes Bridalwear. A simple lean-to side extension on the ground floor utilising an existing boundary wall. We expressed concern about the load baring on the wall as it wouldn't have building foundations. The lean-to design would also be prominent from the highway and would upset the balance of the corner gateway building. It was felt there would be difficulty matching brickwork. In light of this, we recommended refusal.
Just outside Leek and off to Longsdon for the erection of a new outbuilding on the edge of the Caldon canal. This was a lapsed permission but should never have been granted in the first place. It's right on the edge of the canal in the Conservation Area is is due to be built of red brick. We all wanted to turn it down but the site has benefited from a former permission. Therefore, our hands are somewhat tied. We reluctantly recommended approval but wanted more sympathetic materials. It was also very weird as this was supposed to be an implement shed - and yet it had windows and a balcony. Poshest implement store I've ever seen with a balcony overlooking the canal!
The final application saw us whizz back into Leek for the Save Filling Station on Broad Street. This application was for a Drive Thru outlet with parking. No applicant named but the only drive throughs I know are McDonalds and we know they've been looking for a site in Leek for ages. Looking at the plans, I have to say that words fail me. It was awful and there was nothing positive to highlight at all. The site was cramped, had insufficient space for planting, cars would have been right on the frontage, it was flat-roofed, it had a lot of glass, it was boxy, the materials were very modern. It would have looked fine in the middle of a new development but not at the centre of an historic market town and within a Conservation Area. In light of this, we recommended refusal but had no objection in principle to such a development on the site.
