At a moment when many heritage sites are about to be threatened by development an interesting and simple conservation tactic has been reported from Wivenhoe, Essex.
Under the new planning regime, any impact on designated heritage assets will be considered in planning decisions but ones that are undesignated won’t be. Some might say that’s a pretty philistine approach, given that only a small minority of assets are scheduled or otherwise protected. But at Wivenhoe “the public” has tried to get its retaliation in early: a list has been drawn up by historians and residents to highlight those places not officially recognised by English Heritage.
Volunteers from Wivenhoe Townscape Forum surveyed the town and persuaded Colchester Council’s local development framework committee to put 76 buildings and open spaces on a list to be given special consideration when a planning application is decided. Borough councillor John Jowers said: “It is a really good list. It is one of those things you look at and think: We should have done this years ago” while Robert Needham of the Townscape Forum added: ““I hope our case study will be useful for other groups looking to do the same thing.”
We can only agree! The idea is particularly relevant to those that have an interest in prehistoric sites as so many of those lack formal protection. If you know of one why not drop your local Council a line and ask them to put it on a “special consideration” list? Who knows, Wimpeys may already have it on their special consideration list!
The Heritage Journal 
2 comments
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06/06/2012 at 18:08
Christiane Sherwen
Things are not quite so rosy. The LDF committee took 2 items off the list. One was an old Methodist Chapel (1871) in the Conservation area and used since 1901 by the community. An application to demolish it and replace it with a modern building was refused in October 2011 on the grounds that it was a community building. Because the applicant tried again the building was turned down for listing by LDF this April. The applicant was again refused in May on the same grounds. The applicant says she will appeal and LDF will not consider putting the building on the Local List for this reason.
The first thing to say about the Local List is that it is designed to
protect historic/community buildings from developers but being on the list does not mean that developers will not get their way. The second point is
that there was a certain logic about keeping the hall off the Local List
because the planning issue was in already in play at the time and it created
an area of neutrality around the planning decision even if it weighted it
somewhat in favour of the application. Now that there has twice been a
decision to protect the hall as a community building and there is currently
no planning question (and even if there were), to keep it off the Local List
is to weight things grossly in favour of the application and grossly against
protection of a historic community building – the very job of the Local
List.
06/06/2012 at 18:32
heritageaction
Thank you for that. So is it the fact that any building that is subject to an appeal CAN’T be put on the list? Or is it on a case by case basis?