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190502 | Strategic Planning Meeting | PA18/04577

5.1

PA18-04577 - Hayle Harbour North Quay Hayle Cornwall TR27 4BL pdf icon PDF 4 MB

Application for approval of reserved matters (access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale) pursuant to outline permission PA13/01370 for 175 residential units, 2,235sqm of retail (Class A1-A5) floor space, 483sqm of business (Class B1) floor space and 344sqm of floor space for industrial, FQ and fish storage (Class B2 and B8), including access, parking and public open space.

Additional documents:


STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE – 2 May 2019

ADDENDUM

ITEM NO:

APPLICATION NO:

APPLICANT
5.1
PA18/04577
Mr John Trotter of Sennybridge (Hayle) Ltd

ADDITONAL INFORMATION:

Consultation Responses:

UNESCO (International Council On Monuments and Sites ICOMOS):

There have been comments submitted. One from the French office, the technical review,and one from ICOMOS UK. Their comments are set out below:

ICOMOS Technical Review
Previous consideration

In September 2018, ICOMOS provided preliminary comments regarding a mixed use development project in North Quay, within the boundaries of the World Heritage property, and directly adjacent to the property. Two concurrent applications (PA18/04577 and PA18/04552) were submitted. Substantial concerns were raised by ICOMOS, Historic England and the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site Office at this time. It was acknowledged that an outline consent for development (PA 13/01370) had previously been approved for the site.

The ICOMOS September 2018 Technical Review found that the proposal would detract from the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). Historic England had expressed concerns regarding “the height of some of the buildings proposed at the waterside Quay area and how that height will block views towards the Towans, and the height of the roofs of the Villas on the Towan and how they may break the skyline”. The ICOMOS Technical Review agreed with Historic England that lowering the height was essential.

However, the ICOMOS Technical Review was also concerned about the impact on the setting for Hayle. ICOMOS considered that the proposed Quayside buildings were too visually dominant, as well as too tall, and would form a barrier to understanding the natural relationships between the components of the World Heritage property. Views to the Towans are an important component of the setting of Hayle. Impacts on the skyline of the Towans, as an integral part of the setting of Hayle, will be compromised by the development.

Revised application

The revised application was provided to ICOMOS directly from the State Party on 13 March 2019, with a request to provide further comments by 4 April 2019, the date that



the application would come before the planning committee for decision. The majority of the revised documents on the planning application portal (approximately 190 files) had, however, been uploaded on 30 January 2019, but no notification from the State Party was received at this time. The Addendum Statement to the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) (February 2017), with an updated Visual Impact Assessment, was uploaded on 21 March2019. Due to the late reception of the materials, the World Heritage Centre requested the State Party to explore a postponement of the planning committee decision by one week. To date, no response from the State Party on this aspect has been received.

An invitation to hold a teleconference between the architects of the scheme, the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS was received from the client, Sennybridge Ltd., on 28 March 2019. However, ICOMOS did not consider it most useful to hold such a teleconference before it had had the opportunity to elaborate its technical review.

The proposal considers the development area in terms of three character zones based on the existing qualities of the site and their heritage as established in the HIA. These are: ‘Wharf’, closest to the water; ‘The Yards’, set against the cliff; and ‘Hilltop’, which includes the top of the cliff and the hills behind it.

This assessment considers the changes in relation to the three areas and whether they alleviate concerns about impacts on Outstanding Universal Value.

Changes to the Wharf area

The greatest change to the proposal is the reduction in building heights of Blocks E, F and H by 1 storey, Block G by 2 storeys, and Block C by 3 storeys in the Wharf area. The reduction in the height of these blocks is generally helpful, particularly in longer range views shown in the Visual Impact Assessment. The increased storey and larger footprint to Block D does not have much impact in these views.

In addition, the proponent argues that the overall massing of built form is reduced by changes to some rooflines, and by moving Block C closer to the Spine Road and Block G deeper into the site, with resultant greater, open public space at the wharf side.

There is an inherent difficulty with the extent of development proposed because the more intensive development of North Quay occurred after the most significant period identified in the Statement of Outstanding Universal Value as dating principally from 1700 to 1914. The HIA shows that the Wharf area was largely rail sidings and small vernacular buildings up to 1914.

The proposal has sought to respond to this by reflecting historic railway siding alignments and creating areas of public open space. Although it is understood that the layout of railway routes was transient, this concept is supported. It would be good to see this developed more strongly with interpretation as a key component of visiting the area. The alignments provide visual glimpses towards the estuary and there is good potential for them to be combined with hard, ‘industrial style’ landscaping to convey some of thecharacter of the past. This layer of legibility should be given precedence over the‘opeways’ or paths for travel. (Masterplan Part 4, page 46).

The visual connectivity into the site is less convincing. The Masterplan Part 4, page 48 depicts the alignment of views into the site. Because of the overlapping nature of building layouts on the Wharf, visual permeability is quite restricted as shown on page 61. Morework should be done to increase this aspect.
 Masterplan Part 4 page 61

Source: Masterplan Part 4 page 61
The topographical setting

‘The findings of the HIA (February 2017) acknowledged that it is    the topographical setting of the WHS and Conservation Area that is    fundamental to the significance and OUV of those heritage assets.’ (Amended Heritage Impact Assessment p6)

As mentioned above, the reduction in heights of buildings to the Wharf area assist in retention of the topographical form by not breaking the skyline. However, concerns raised in the ICOMOS September 2018 Technical Review about development on theskyline of the Towans appear not to have been addressed.

 Masterplan Part 4 page 60

Source: Masterplan Part 4 page 60 

The Masterplan (Part 5, page 127) expresses the ‘strong desire to maintain as much of the wild, natural landscape of this part of the site as possible’. While the views out from thedwellings will be a major selling point, it   is    not clear that their impact on the skyline has been adequately assessed. For example, it   is    not clear how ‘the dwellings will appear to nestle within the natural landscape, acting as look-outs when viewed from thesurrounding context’ (Masterplan Part 5, page 127). There would appear to be a contradiction between them being ‘nestled in the topography’ and being seen as ‘look-outs’.

Materials and landscaping

The general approach to landscaping, in particular to distinguish between the softer areas and the hard landscaping on the Wharf, is supported. The modulation of the palette of materials to increase the range is also beneficial. It is noted that there is an intention to reflect some of the agreed materials from the South Quay application and this is supported.

Conclusions

The proposed changes are improvements to the scheme, particularly in decreasing the height of buildings within the Wharf area and increasing public open space.
The use of historic railway siding alignments linked to public open space is supported and it is desirable to see this aspect of the scheme strengthened, both physically and through interpretation.

The HIA and other assessments have all highlighted the importance of the topography and setting for retention of Outstanding Universal Value. There is more work to be done on providing permeability into the site through the Wharf area and in retention of the Hilltop skyline. The desire to create views from dwellings has led to them being more prominent as ‘look-outs’ on the skyline. This is detrimental to the Towans and needs further consideration as stated in the ICOMOS September 2018 Technical Review.

While it is agreed that the current proposal represents an improvement on the approved outline development, this is not sufficient in terms of addressing the potential negative impact of the proposal on Outstanding Universal Value. Therefore, in ICOMOS’ view, the development should be further revised to increase the visible permeability of the Wharf and to reduce the impact of Hilltop development on the Towans skyline.

ICOMOS remains at the disposal of the State Party for further clarification on the above or assistance as required.

ICOMOS UK

ICOMOS-UK would like to comment on the potential impact of the proposed development (PA18/04577) at North Quay on the contribution Hayle Harbour makes to the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site (WHS).

ICOMOS-UK is the UK National Committee of ICOMOS, which has a special role as theofficial adviser to UNESCO on cultural World Heritage Sites. ICOMOS-UK plays a leading role in helping to implement the 1972 World Heritage Convention (the Convention) withinthe UK and promoting best practice in the management of UK WHSs. The maintenance of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the UK WHSs and their settings is a key objective.

We are concerned that the development proposed at North Quay on the boundary of the WHS may impact on its immediate setting. This impact could be exacerbated by any future build behind the proposed development site. In our view the ‘dramatic open estuarine setting’ of Hayle Harbour as described at the time of inscription as a WHS, has the potential to be compromised by any new development near the water’s edge whichcould limit the understanding of the harbour and its historic significance.

As you know, successive proposed developments at Hayle Harbour have been considered by the World Heritage Committee since inscription of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape on the World Heritage List. It may be that the conflicts between 

conservation and development at Hayle have yet to be adequately resolved, in part perhaps due the absence of a buffer zone. However, the currently proposed development raises the question as to whether there is a ‘comprehensive mechanism of conservation’ to protect the WHS and its setting from large scale development and whether sufficient policies to support such a mechanism are being implemented. It is our view that in termsof Hayle, development should respect the need for Hayle to reflect its former role as the main port for the Cornish mining industry and not overwhelm what remains from that era.

ICOMOS-UK has never been against development at North Quay. In 2008 we were invited to undertake a site visit to Hayle to discuss proposed development related to South Quay,North Quay and East Quay. We then considered that new development should read as urban buildings tightly meshed with the landscape but not be assertive. We also considered that the buildings needed to be seen against a backdrop of the dunes and sufficiently far back form the water’s edge to allow an understanding of the quay and its former functions. Whilst we understand that the current plans have been subject to refinement, we would question whether the current mass and density of the proposed buildings meets those parameters.

What is needed at North Quay is sustainable development that provides resources for thelocal community as well as for visitors, is subservient to its surroundings and enhances the very specific and distinctive contribution that Hayle makes to the overall World Heritage serial Site. We would therefore encourage the Planning Authority to consider, when determining this application, whether the current proposal is in accord with World Heritage Outstanding Universal Value and the aspirations of the local community.

Representations:

Additional objections have been submitted.  The contributors made following points in addition to those set out in the report:
Objections:-Additional parking and parking control is    required.

Assessment

 

Historic Environment

Comments have been received from both the Paris and UK ICOMOS offices. The advice they provide reflects the assessment made in the officer’s report concerning the impact of the development on the OUV of the WHS. Namely that the amendments made to the scheme are an improvement over the original submitted scheme but there are concerns about the impact on the openness of the quayside. As set out in the report development will affect the openness of the quayside. It is suggested by ICOMOS that further revisions could be made. However both Historic England and the WHS site are satisfied with theproposal. In terms of the NPPF any harm to the WHS would be less than substantial and outweighed by the public benefits. As such it is not considered reasonable or necessary to require further revisions to be made to the scheme. 

Reference is made in the ICOMOS responses to the potential impact of future development in the Hilltop area. This area does not form part of the current application before the application. Rather it is part of the Development Brief for which consent is sought under condition 3 of the outline permission, application PA18/04552. This shows development on the higher ground of 1 and 2 storeys. The document is not intended to undertake a detailed assessment of each plot. This would be carried out during thecourse a detailed application. Rather it is intended to establish a number of principles that will guide the submission of later phases of the development. As this area lies outside the area of this application those comments are not relevant to this application.

Representations

The level of parking as set out in the report is considered acceptable. The Town Council have requested that parking restrictions are put in place along North Quay and this is being considered.

Conclusion

Overall it is considered that the conclusions and recommendation, that permission should be granted, set out in the Committee report remains sound and robust.

Recommendation

Grant consent subject to the conditions recommended in the report.

 

via https://democracy.cornwall.gov.uk/documents/s122805/Committee%20Update%2...

 

From Agenda - https://democracy.cornwall.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=618&MId=9047&Ver=4

Strategic Planning Committee https://democracy.cornwall.gov.uk/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=618

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