30 C O N T E X T 1 3 3 : M A R C H 2 0 1 4 VALUING HERITAGE CLARE SMITH, CHRISTINE MANLY and JAMES WEBB Celebrating a 1970s housing estate Partnership work between the local community, heritage consultants and the council has recognised the value of modern architecture in a 1970s housing estate in Surrey. ‘Congratulations! We are really pleased that Lakeside Drive now has the recognition and status it deserves.’ This comment came from a resident who had taken part in a community-based appraisal which led to the designation of a new conservation area based on its 1970s architecture. It was rather a change from the original comment made to Elmbridge Borough Council’s heritage section: ‘I thought you were only interested in the old stuff’. The majority of Elmbridge’s 24 existing conservation areas comprise historic town centres in Cobham, Esher and Weybridge, and village greens at Giggs Hill and Downside, with a mixed core of listed and locally listed properties dating from the early medieval period through to theVictorian era. Later examples include the famous motor racing circuit at Brooklands, opened in 1907, and an arts-and-crafts-inspired retirement village built in the 1920s by the philanthropy ofWilliamWhiteley. The private estate of modular brick and glass built houses set around a historic lake at Lakeside Drive in Esher, Surrey, had been identified by the council a number of years ago as a candidate for further investigation and potential conservation area status. Previously resources had been concentrated on undertaking a rolling programme of character appraisals and management plans (CAMPs) for the existing conservation areas. Elmbridge had previously developed the Community Heritage Initiative Project (CHIP) with English Heritage to encourage the local community to develop and share their heritage skills by undertaking CAMPs.The CHIP project established the importance of collaborative working with the council’s heritage staff and heritage consultants to produce usable, robust documents that reflect local views, inform decision making and have strong sense of community ownership. The opportunity arose to use a small budget underspend.An initial feasibility study was undertaken inMay 2013 with the Lakeside Drive Resident’s Association, Esher Conservation Area Advisory Committee, Surrey Gardens Trust, council officers and consultants from A Lakeside Drive house with its distinctive modular brick and window wall components Members of the working group in Lakeside Drive
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