EDITORIAL While the Commission settles itself under its new logo, and discussion of its functions abates for the time being, two major threats to the historic environment remain unresolved. The battle over the new VAT regulations, and subsequent concessions for listed buildings, only emphasise the wider issue: the lack of any positive discrimination by way of tax relief for the repair of historic buildings. The rescue of the GLC Historic Buildings Division has done nothing to secure the future of conservation and archaeology teams, and their work, in the Metropolitan Counties. The power of intensive and multi-disciplinary lobbying has been demonstrated, however, in both cases: a credit to the professional bodies and pressure groups responsible. CONSERVATIONTEAMS AT RISK At a conference held in Leeds in Ifay this year, concern was expressed over the future of the Conservation Teams and Archaeological Units serving the six Metropolitan Counties. The Conference, which was hosted by West Yorkshire CC, drew attention to the fact that the level of service in these areas would be severely damaged if the Met.Counties are abolished. Professor Rosemary Cramp, speaking on behalf of English Heritage, suggested that the Commission was prepared to play a role, provided that adequate The Association of Conservation Officers Quarterly Newsletter No 5/June 1984 context finance was found. Ket.County Officers are in a difficult position on the issue, being forbidden by Members and Unions to discuss alternative arrangements~ At the same time it is clear that the absorption of the GLC Historic Buildings Division into the Commission has removed the issue from public debate. VAT: ALTERATIONSTO LISTED BUILDINGS A press release of 18th May gives details of the relief from VAT for alterations to listed buildings announced by the Minister of State for the Treasury, Mr .Barney Hayhoe MP. The broad effect is to zero-rate: (1) any alteration (but not repair or maintenance) of a listed building - or ancient monument or listed church - which both requires and has received listed building consent from the appropriate planning authority; and (2) the sale or lease over 21 yrs. of a L.Bby a person "substantially reconstructing" it, subject to conditions including that at least three-quarters of the cost of reconstruction would be work zero-rated as alterations by a contractor. This is intended to be rouGhly equivalent to the present 50% test for reconstructed buildings. The amendment will be back dated to 1st June 1984. All still wide awake on the back row? The best bits cor:ie in the detailed The Association of Conservation Officers promotes the conservation of the national heritage in local planning authorities
context Editorial Information Contributions, news, views, queries and complaints -get them off your chest and into print! All your contributions are welcome - just remember the formula to save your hard-pressed Editor time and headaches .• FORMATas this issue. Published Quarterly in .March, June, September, and December. DEADLINESfor copy at the end of February, Nay, August, and November. TYPEFACE- standard typewriter faces, single spaced in columns of 85mm wide. ILLUSTRATIONSmust be 85mm or 180mm finished width. Line drawings 0.2mm line width (minimum). Photographs must already be screened. POST all information and copy to the Editor, Jenny Birkett, at 130 Bouverie Avenue South, Salisbury, thl tshire. 0722 334129 or 0722 336272x387 (office) VAT 1Li:1iS (continued) provisions. In (2) above (Group 8A, Item No.l, Note (2)(b)) the threequarters/50;-0 rule is extended to say "that the reconstructed building incorporates no more of the original bui~ding (that is to say, the building as it was before the reconstruction began) than the external walls, together with other external features of architectural or historic interest." To add to your unbounded joy, "excluded services", it says,"means the services of an architect, surveyor or other person acting as consultant or in a supervisory capacity." It must be remarkable that the Treasury should have agreed to any link at all between taxation and the statutory list. If, as seems likely, the new regulations will somewhere encourage someone to demolish far more of a listed building than might be necessary, then one hopes that sufficient publicity will help to pave the way for further amendments. John Fidler & Mike Pearce ACO Association of Conservation Officers ACOREGIONALCONTACTS NORTH: Brian Jobling: 0632 816144 (T;yne & Wear County) NORTR':-Ft"'.ST:Mike King: 0704 33133xl21 (Sefton Borough Council) YORKSHIRE:Robert Scriven:0924 370211 Uiak.efield IV!etropoli tan DC)x417 W.MIDLANDS:Carole Ryan: 0743 222332 (Shropshire County Council) E.MIDL.ANDS:Tony Jenkins:0629 34llx7182 (Derbyshire County Council) SOUTHWEST: Chris Smith: 0272 290777x530 (Avon County Council) SOUTH: Roger Evans: 0296 5000 (Buckinghamshire County Council) EAST ANGLIA: Peter Richards:0245 352232 (Essex County Council) SOUTHEAST:Geoff Pink: 01 546 1050 (Surrey County Council) LONDON:Rosemarie MacQueen: 01 253 8455 (Hackney London Borough Council) SCOTLAND:Nie Allen: 031 343 1911 (Conservation Bureau SDA) WALES:Trevor Thoroe: 0267 4567 (Carmarthen-District Council) ACO OF:B'ICERS CHAIRMAN:.Mike Pearce: 0962 544llx670 (Hampshire County Council) c/o The Castle, Winchester. SECRETARY:Tony Jenkins: 0629 34llx7182 (Derbyshire County Council) 17 Crimicar Lane, ~ulwood, Sheffield S10 4FA TR2ASURER: Peter Richards: 0245 352232 (Essex County Council) 139 Lifstan Way, Thorpe Bay, Essex SSl 2XG MEKBERSHIPSECRErARY: John Davey (Essex County C) 0245 352232 c/o Globe House, New Street, Chelmsford, Essex PUBLICITY: John Fidler: 01 606 3030 (City Corporation) x2768 36 Ravenscourt Road, London ~!60UG EDITOR 11CONTEXT":Jenny Birkett (Salisbury DC) 0722 336272x387 130 Bouverie Avenue South, Salisbury, 'tfiltshire SP2 8EA
'Urban Conservation Practice': short course at Oxford UNIVERSITY COLLEGEOXFORD 1984 Following the success of the 1983 conference, the ACO again joined with Roger France, the tutor in Conservation for the Oxford Polytechnic, in organising a short course and our AGM at Oxford from 29 March to 1 April. The theme this year, under the title Urban Conservation Practice, was rather more on the practical problems and how to deal with theml Over 60 people from all over the country enjoyed living in civilised surroundings for a few days. Roger France introduced the course, and Tony Pass from Greater Manchester reviewed very appropriately the findings of the Montagu report on Britains' Historic Buildings of 1980. He concluded that, although there was growing support from both public and private sectors, there was little of the co-ordination which had been called for. In addition, public spending cuts and proposals affecting Local Authority organisation in the cities have adversely affected new conservation schemes, grants, staffing, maintenance policies and the education of specialists. This was a good curtain-raiser for the welcome appearance of Lord Montagu on the eve of the launch of the English Heritage - or as some staff have been heard to say "the Departm-er-New-Commission''• Lord Montagu outlined the role of the Commission and stressed the importance of the grant schemes for buildings and conservation areas, and said that there would be an increase in funds for Town Schemes - of which there were some 160, of which over 100 were delegated in their administration to local authorities. "Demolition was never going to be an easy option". There was a need for sensitive development and listed building control. 'Phe Commission was launching a national membership scheme with free access to monuments at £.8 a year. In answering many questions, Lord Montagu shared our concern for the future of the Historic Buildings Division of the GLC and our colleagues in the Metropolitan areas and our concern for the extension of -3VAT as proposed in the Budget. Both issues have now made some progress - the HBD to the Commission and some relief for "structural alterations" to listed buildings. One would have preferred "structural repairs"! Robert Walker of Cambridgeshire followed by showing that there is a changing attitude to conservation. As the Montagu Report had shown there were many opportunities for action -for simple remedies at local level. However, the effects of the Resurvey of listed buildings, and the role of the new Commission and the ACOneeded to be clarified and developed. Alan Parnell was, unfortunately, unartle to speak on the Fire Regulations, but this had the beneficial effect of allowing more time for Robert Chitham to give us a down-to-earth commercial view of development and preservation. There is often a massive gulf between the aims of the planning authority and the developer. Local authorities often do not understand the financial regime within which the developer works, and he often has the most superficial understanding of the planning process and the relevant legislation. "Is there a Preservation Order on this building?". 11The front of this house is listed". "I'm a lover of old buildings, but •• " 'l1he builder regarded the laws of preservation as an angry ju-ju, causing it to rain from time to time. The developer, or his pension fund, wanted modern concrete buildings; floors 13m wide, 3.4m from floor to floor, air-conditioned, modern services, and car parking. An old building needed stability and continuity of use. It was best conserved by spending small amounts of money regularly, rather than large sums infrequently. There should be clear conservation objectives -avoid generalities! Conservation has changed the course of architectural design. We need education not legislation! He concluded by saying that a revision of the status and treatment of statutorily listed buildings was now due.
Dinner in the Hall on Friday evening was shared by our guests, including Howard Colvin and Mrs Jennifer Jenkins. We took the opportunity of thanking them, and all members of the Historic Buildings Council for their help over 30 years - of which li1rs Jenkins had chaired the last nine - on behalf of all conservation officers. We wished them well as new Commissioners. As a compliment to both our guests we were able to present Mrs Jenkins with Howard Calvin's book on Unbuilt Oxford, signed by the author and all present. Mrs Jenkins, in her reply, looked forward to a new partnership between the Commission and Local Authorities in which the AGO and all conservation officers would have a vital part to play. Brian Hennessey and David Warren on their last day as Civil Servants gave us the benefit of their experience in gathering the evidence of problems - and solutions -for the under-use of upper floors of historic buildings. If only the shopkeeper would return to living over his shop! The case studies showed a range of possible alternatives. J Douglas Cowell of Basingstoke took us through the minefield of Housing Act grants and requirements. Fortunately the £-½mspent on grants in Basingstoke is administered by housing officers who have some sympathy for conservat~ ion, and there is a close liaison with the Conservation Officer in the Planning Department. Other Authorities please copy! Carole Ryan of Shropshire and Tony Jenkins of Derbyshire showed the process of erosion amongst listed buildings and in Conservation Areas as the do-it-yourself enthusiast and the mode:rn window salesmen, backed up by the concrete tiler, the sticky stonemason and the Georgian Joiner work hard to remove the variations in our heritage, built without any obvious co-ordination - so that we can all enjoy the same factory-finished product. Home Improvement grants were £740m in 1982-84. Conservation grants in those two years perhaps a tenth of that. 'rhose who are concerned at a possible increase in the number of listed buildings should worry about those reviewed lists with LESS listed buildings as .buildings are de-listed because of destruction by alteration. '11he Workshop sessions on Sunday were summarised and concluded by a stirring advocate of Conservation, Roger Suddards who urged us - if we didn't already - to see the problems of maintaining and conserving our historic towns and buildings from the point of view of other people. 111rhe trained eye versus the Great British Public .. Can people afford anything else? .• Should we be seeking social control? (What?!) What choice has the Public got in price terms? ... nobody explains to them - there is a great need for Education -persuade the Abbey National and the National Westminster Bank, they are easier to get at, and local. Produce Broadsheets rather than glossy brochures - they go further (literally and within a budget). We should get in touch with window and door manufacturers, for example, or concentrate on one or two members - we do not want to see a situation where it is the conservationist versus the planning authority. We should be selective with conservation areas. Make sure the right people have the information. We must educate rather than rely on control. We want positive, not negative processes - Development Control was quite wrong - it should be Plan Implementation." If there was one message from Oxford, it was that we have to be not just historic buildings experts - we are - but people experts. We have to sell the benefits of conservation, not only to the owners of the buildings or the citizens of the historic towns, but to all those who make decisions affecting their future. We needed the powers of persuasion rather than the powers of legislation. (Conference re~ort by Mike Pearce)
Tell it to the Commission .... DRAFTCIRCULARONPROCEDURESFOR INFORMINGTHEHBKCOF PLANNINGAND LISTEDBUILDINGCONSENTAPPLICATIONS The DoE, still alive and well and living at Marsham Street, issued a draft circular on 31 May for consultation with the local authority associations. The Commission is also consulting the amenity societies, including ACO, and comments are required at 25 Savile Row by 31 August. It would be helpful if ACO Regions would let the Chairman, Mike Pearce, have any views through their Regional Contact, who will have the full text. Basically, the circular deals with notification on two matters: on planning applications, the LPA's should from 1 October 1984 notify applications - including their own - which affect the setting of any building Grade I or II*; OR which are for development affecting the character or appearance of certain conservation areas. A list of these is to follow, to include those in receipt of grant under SlO or SlOB (Town Schemes). Conversely, LPA's should not notify applications affecting the setting of Grade II buildings, or affecting CA's not on the list. On listed building consent applications, LPA's will be directed from 1 October 1984 that they shall notify the Commission of (a) application to alter, extend or demolish any Grade I or II* buildings, or (b) applications to demolish any buildings, whether listed or not in any of the Conservation Areas in the aforementioned (presumably) list in the forth~oming Appendix which is clearly rather important. This new procedure is for notifying the Commission on receipt of applications - and it is hoped LPA's -5will supply more than the bare minimum of information -but existing procedures for notifying the Secretary .of State where a LPA is minded to grant consent remain unaffected. Arrangements have been made for the DoT to inform the Commission of highway schemes af~ecting ancient monuments, listed buildings and conservation areas, and local highway authorities are asked to make similar arrangements to inform the Commission at an early stage. This must be very helpful if destructive forces are to be deflected. The Commission gives notice that it may give evidence to local inquiries into planning or LB consent applications or appeals, highway schemes or-structure plans. Very good - presumably an EIP into an important local plan in an historic town would be possible too. "It is not thought .. that the new procedures will require significant additional local authority manpower or financial resources." Don't say you weren't warned! the RILP! \ column ~ A plea from Bath - has anyone successfully got a CPO on an unoccupied Listed Building in need of repair, following a repairs notice or otherwise WITH a right of access? The case in question concerns a Listed Building on the edge of an estate, but the only possible access is through the estate on existing drives. Any ideas pleas~ telephone: Javid McLaughlin, Conservation Architect, Bath City.Council on 0225 - 61111 extension 512 or 516.
SANDBLASTINLGIMESTONEBUILDINGS The recent use of sandblasting to clean the facade of a fine John Wood the younger house in Bath has highlighted once again the legal difficulties of preventing this damaging and disfiguring technique. Listed Building Consent is not required for cleaning in Bath (which is usually carried out by washing with water at tap pressure) because it is considered that if it does affect the character of a building it does so only benefi'cially, and because the Council does not wish to place an obstacle in the way of a practice which it wishes to encourage. The Council's lawyers doubt whether they could demonstrate successfully (except in the most extreme cases of damage) that sandblasting is an unauthorised alteration which is contrary to S.55 of the 1971 Town and Country Planning Act-and even if they could, such retrospective action would probably be too late anyway. We are beginning to consider if after all the Council should require Listed Building Consent to be granted for cleaning. We should like to know of other local authorities'experiences in dealing with this problem and would be glad to pass on our findings to anyone else who is interested in them. SIMPLEXSETS We receive enquiries from time to time about obtaining Simplex sets for use with sash windows (the sets are described-in MMSheet 2.05/3 of~ Care and Conservation of Georgian Houses) and are hoping to persuade Graham Reeves (who stock them in Scotland) to stock them in Bath. Their great benefits do not seem to be widely appreciated south of the border, but we should be interested to know if they are being used anywhere in England or indeed if anyone else is hoping to make them available. Please write to: Arnold Root, Assistant Listed Buildings Architect, Dept. of Environmental Services, Bath City Council, Abbey Chambers, Bath. BA1 1NT or telephone on Bath 61111 ext. 512/516 (~ditor's Eote: does no-one but B~th have -,robler.rn these days? ,i11ere a.re you, if you do? ~rite soon!) PLASTICWINDOWS:UCCESSONAPPEAL The Secretary of State recently backed ~ath City Council when an owner appealed against their refusal of ltsted building consent for the insertion of white PVC-framed windows in a Georgian terrace. In December 1982, listed building consent was refused for the installation of three white nonsliding PVC windows on the front elevation of 24 Thomas St, Bath, on the grounds that "the installation ... would seriously detract from the 0 character and appearance of this listed building." Notwithstanding this refusal, the windows were installed ' and the owner appealed against the refusal. The Inspector, Mr. M.P. Parsons, said in his decision letter in February 1984: "~lthough Thomas St is blemished by some inappropriate improvements, the terrace has retained a good degree of unity above basewent level ... when I visited the site I found the difference between the old and the new which the Council described at the Inquiry to be immediately ~vident. The windows are practical and robust but the detail of the opening lights is coarse by comparison with the refinement of the traditional sash windows which I think make an important contribution to the character of the terrace. I therefore consider that the new windows are aesthetically inferior to those which they have replaced and consequently harm the appearance of the listed building." The Secretary of State agreed with the Inspector's recommendations and added that" ... it is accepted that unsympathetic alterations have been carried out to other buildings in the terrace in the recent past, these do not justify further harmful works being undertaken." Dept. of Environment reference: South-West Regional Office APP/POlOS/E/83/000678 29th February 1984.
The Ecclesiastical Exemption It is some fifty years since the Established Church, the Church of England, set up the present system of advice and control of the alterations or demolition of its own churches. The system depends upon the loyal and unpaid services of the Diocesan Advisory Committees, appointed by the Bishop, and reporting to the Archdeacons on applications by the parishes for Faculties, under the general guidance of the Faculty Jurisdiction Commission. Other churches of other denominations have similar, though perhaps not such thorough, arrangements. The CoE measures are confirmed by statute -the Pastoral Measure of 1968, the Redundant Churches Act of 1970 and a revised Pastoral Measure of 1983. There is the Advisory Board for Redundant Churches, an eminent body, the Redundant Churches Fund, (increasingly funded by the DoE), the Church Commissioners themselves, and the Council for the Care of Churches, established in 1921 and now a permanent Commission of the General Synod. Generally speaking the future of churches in use falls outside the provisions of the Planning Acts, but since 1968, the future of listed buildings, including many churches, has been a matter of increasing public concern, The DoE has now published a green consultation paper on the "Ecclesiastical Exemption", and it is hoped ACO members will have had the opportunity to discuss the options. The Council for the Care of Churches, for its part, organised a one day conference at the Victoria & Albert Museum on 4th June, attended by some 150, including a good number of conservation officers. However, much of the day was taken up by an exposition of how well the existing voluntary system had managed, and the question of what changes might be desirable, if any, or what improvements might be possible was scarcely explored. There was evidence of a genuine concern on the part of church authorities to continue to care for the "heritage" within the constraints imposed by their prime objective, the -7care of souls. The evidence ot the record proved hard to analyse, as statistics are few and happily quoted at random. It appears there may be anything between 15,000 and 20,000 historic CoE churches of which half may be mediaeval, and 80% of which are listed. Fa~ulty applications, in London, may run at ten times the secular rate of applications for LB consent - does that indicate closer control for churches? There are some 43 Diocesan Advisory Committees in the country, some 500 -600 members of which, say, 200 are experts. Very few. How many mistakes have they made? Ashley Barker suggests two in London in recent years. How many mistakes go unrecorded or noticed? Is it better for guidance to come fron within - by the willing owner - or from without? What of the many non-Anglican churches? Bath, for example, has 65 churches of which 41 are listed, 52 are in· Conservation Areas, but only 14 are CoE. More and later non-conformist churches will be included in the Lists on the review. Lord Sandford, well qualified to speak for both church and state, urged that we draw on the strengths ,of- both systems, and bring other churches under the protective arm of the system we've already got. Most lay people felt that the present system should be improved and strengthened, and that a move towards "partnership", at least, with the local planning authorities, would probably prove to be mutually beneficial. How precisely it was to be done was another matter! David r,:cLauehlin from Bath also attended the day conference at the V&A, and writes: Comments on the Department of the Environment's consultation paper The Ecclesiastical Exemption from Listed Building Conrol are due by 31st July, 1984. While there was general agreement for some form of ecclesiastical exemption to continue for those churches of the Church of England subject to the Faculty Jurisdiction system (and hence Diocesan Advisory Committees) I am very worried that other denominations may not have similar procedures to
care for their churches. l urge everyone concerned about this issue to study the Department of the Environment paper and the excellent Report of the Faculty Jurisdiction Commission, The Continuing Care of Churches and Cathedrals (CID Publishing £6.50, ISBN 07151 35~5 8) and send their com~ents to the Department of the Environment by 31st July, 1984. David McLaughlin, Bath Letters Dear Editor, I attended the AGMin Oxford last month and voted against the increased subscription. Comments were made by the elected officers about using the increased subscriptions to enable the AGMto be held in London and that a future role of ACO should be to produce 'working papers'. By your own statistics (newsletter No.l) London Borough members 14%, Scottish members 14%, rest of England members 66%; the next AGMcould justifiably be held in Edinburgh. Please do not let us become another national organisation run by ,,a south east mafia! Get it out into the provinces, that is where our members are. We all belong to professional and other organisations (with their AGM's inevitably in London), which produce more than enough working papers than the majority of us find time to read. It would be of greater benefit to the whole membership if ACO produced fact sheets for the general public, and presented a united and coordinated voice to Central Government (P.M. and Patrick Jenkin) the HBMC, the ADC etc. on specific matters of the moment. We are neither a learned society nor a professional institute, but a collection of individuals suffering more than anything else from isolation and lack of simple authorative public back up for our collective aim of protecting and enhancing our historic towns and cities. So please do not waste our money on expensive London accommodation (our rates are less in the Midlands!) or ~n dupli- -(5cated, quasi-professional drafts for our Ph.D's, or even a bulled-up newsletter; but rather keep in touch with the majority of the membership, produce simple statements for the public and central government's consumption and leave the newsletter in its present, simple, easily read and pleasant format (congratulations), keep concentrating on its content not on its appearance. Yours sincerely William S. Scott Conservation Officer City of Worcester. MAGNET _JOINERY Following the ACO AGM at Oxford a few months ago, Roger Suddards, t~ solicitor author 6f the well-known book on historic buildings law, wrote to say how interested he was in helping the ACO to campaign at source over specific problems and in particular over works affecting the character of unlisted buildings in conservation areas.His attention had been drawn to the difficulties in controlling DIY improvements to these buildings by the use of offthe-shelf "jungle wood" doors and "noddy" windows. Roger actually knows the chairman of Magnet Joinery, Philip Duxbury extremely well and he would be willing to take up the conservation cause to Magnet if the ACO could provide material upon which to base i'I case.If there are any ACO members who can supply detailed information of atrocities in Maqr:et materials or who would be willing to suggest ways by which Magnet could provide more appropri~ -ately detailed standard joinery or issue a "planning health warning" with their products, then could they please contact John Fidler who is coordinating the ACO response to Roger's suggestion. (36,Ravenscourt Rd.,London W6).
POCKET MONEY r:-cm l\CO J\1E'-'TRERS As some of you may already know, our former newsletter editor John ~idler, is a most enterprising chap.Not content to participate on half-a-dozen committees & run a modest consultancy service as well as his full-time job for the City of London Corporation, he has now become architectural editor of a new publishing ventuR called "Traditional Homes" and writes here to introduce the forthcoming monthly magazine, which he thinks may be of more than passing interest to ACO members. Conservation Officers will now generally be aware of the mags that cater for the refurbishment market.At the architectural end there have been several attempts: 'Building Conservation','Buildinq Refurbishment' & 'Architectural Preservation' to name but three and the field is widely covered though not in as much detail in a cross-section of magazines from Country Life to the DIY rags. Recently hopes were raised by the publication of 'Period Home' and a few ACO members have used its pages to get across particular messages with some success.Sadly, that magazine has had more than its fair share of publishing and distributing problems and its own editorial style and its contents have fluctuated widEfy in ethical stance, accuracy of information & ~ interest.' Now I have been appointed as the architectural editor of a new venture "TRADITIONAL HOMES" not only to compete directly with the other magazines but also to make a more ser:iously considered attempt to entertain and inform both the professionals and the laypeople alike about the conservation, repair,enhancement and adaptation of historic houses -from the vernacular to the polite - from the Grand House to the humble cottage, in a monthly publication available oy subscription or from your newsagent starting in the autumn. Essentially,it is our intention to retain i:he highest standards of ethics and technical know-how as regards conserving old buildings~ To that end I have been given powers of veto over advertising & copy should there be conflicts of interest. It is our wish to mirror in an up-market way, the success of that remarkable American paper, "Old House Journal", being caring, informative and campaigning without being over-stuffy and too serious. life aim to publish, for example, a whole range of articles akin to the SPAB's technical pamphlets on repair methods and practice and will give advice on furniture, fittings and works of art too. However, a magazine can only be as good as the contributions received for publication.I suspect that a few conservation-type magazines fail because of the low calibre of their writers.Knowing how expert and knowledgeable ACO members are (he creptt) ••I would like to recruit them as contributors and have them paid a decent fee for their services. CF'E Publishing Ltd., are therefore willing to pay a range of fees from £10 for a telephone tip-off that results in publication to up to £250 for a major article and interested ACO members are asked to write to me at the address given below for details. John F'idler.CFE Publishing Ltd., Anchor House.8,High St.,Puckeridge Herts.SGll lRN. s·roP PRESS••• JOB ADVERT••• STOP PRESS•• C !'rY OF LONDON:Building Surveyor, at L9339-£11388. Should be RICS or architect, but other considered. Should have sound experience in care of historic buildings - particular responsi b""., ili ty for Mansion House. Apply by 5th July. Bull details from City Architect/ Planning Officer, PO Box 270, Guildhall London EC2P 2.E.J tel 01 606 3030 ex 2707
Regional News North West The Ferry Landing Stage, Woodside, Birkenhead constructed by the Woodside, North Birkenhead and Liverpool Steam Company in 1861, is a floating landing stage connected to the land by hinged bridges is the oldest stage on the Mersey 4?ld possibly in the world. It has recently been listed, presumably as a response to the threat of redevelopment by the Merseyside Development Corporation. In spite of listing the threat to the stage still remains, the M.D.C. intending to press ahead with redevelopment, listing being considered as a minor 'hiccup' in the progress of the work! The argument being put forward is that much time, fees and effort has already been expended in the redevelopment proposals. It is astounding that a body such as the M.D.C. did not ask for a certificate of exemption from listing prior to carrying out their expensive development works. We look forward to a public inquiry on the proposed redevelopment. In Liverpool the outcome of another public inquiry into the proposals for the demolition and redevelopment of Casey Street is also awaited with interest. The choice of Architects and the method of selection for works to Grade one listed buildings in both Liverpool and Manchester is becoming a matter of concern to Conservation Officers in both Merseyside and Greater Manchester. Economic pressure, once a viable contract for adaptive reuse is underway,is used as a reason for lowering . ~ standards the result is an unacceptable compromise, grant aid is demanded of right but the conditions with grants are seen by developers as minor limitations which may be swept aside. Clearly, the Merseyside Task Force requires the advice of the Commission in monitoring the situation, once the broad principles have been agreed with R.F.A. and other consultative bodies. One conservation officer was asked by the partner of a firm of Architects who had been short listed by the G.P.O. for the Lyceu"" project could he borrow any information on Thomas Harrison since he knew nothing of his work and was to appear at a interview with his prosppective clients the following day. A.C.O. contacts in Manchester confirm that the same thing is happening there, and so it continues throughout the region. On the brighter side A.C.O. recruitment continues into the unknown regions of North Wales, where it is rumoured a lonely and almost extincttribe of Conservation officers has been recently d; .<:,covered! -10South West rrhe South West Region of ACOheld a day seminar in Bath on March 9th, hosted by Chris Pound, J'Ohn Kitley, David lV,cLaughlin and James Elliott of Bath City Council Dept. of E.:nvironmental Services. Deliberately, there was no formal agenda - with the Oxford course and AGMcoming up, it was felt that most of the outstanding issues would be well covered there, and we hoped that an informal meeting would encourage new or potential- members to raise matters.they felt strongly about. Particularly strong feelings were expressed over liaison with the DoE on s4 and slO grant work, with complaints of duplication of work and
contradictory decisions being made. It was argued that a good case could be made for delegation of the s4 and slO grant functions to regional offices. Too few guidelines were available, particularly in specification for repair (could not the new Commission now provide a manual?) The non-eligibility of new owners was also question-_ ed, since this tended to rule out many of the most deserving buildings. Possibly the offer of grant to a new owner should only be ruled out where excessive profit was being made. Considerable concern was expressed that there are areas in the country where there is no county team (Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire for example). Perhaps SAVE (and the HBMG?!) could help us lobby to get this remedied. As a corollary to this, the point was made that it is extremely difficult to establish in some areas whether even the statutory functions are being carried out. Most districts in Devon, for example, have never served a BPN. Consequently, there is little evaluation of.the effect of historic builq_ings law. ;l1he importance of perceiving conservation as an integral part of the planning function was stressed. Some districts had successfully established interdisciplinary working parties wi'thin departments so that, for example, the Building Control section was as closely involved as possible. Inevitably there were forebodings of the increased workloads like-ly with the publication of new and expanded lists following the accelerated re-survey. Surprisingly though, Chris Smith reported that in Avon there were comparatively few Grade III' s being upgraded because of the poor quality of alterations and extensions carried out in the past.~uch of the blame for this, it was generally agreed, was attributable to the high level of Housing Act grant available (with little apparent control ever sympathetic design or materials), compared to the level of conservation grant. :It was suggested that conservat ion staff could improve matters by providing specifications for the use of EHO's where existing materials were to be replaced; and that a useful job for AGOwould be to research some cost/life comparison figures, so that costs of maintenance and the likely life-span were taken into account as well as ini t:ial outlay. Figures published by the Historic Houses Association in this context had been rather misleading. Jenny Birkett HISTORIC GAID)ENSURVEY When it became clear that one of the first jobs the Commission was going to do was to compile a Register of Hist- -oric Parks and Gardens,there was general pleasure. That pleasure may be tainted by the discovery thatthe provisional registers are being produced so quickly that- they will depend,in the Commission's words, " .. on documentary research and reports or surveys (already) carried out in the counties." Ten provisional county registers are already in existence-they average less than twenty items per county.The next dozen or so are under preparation. So,if you have got a comprehensive, w~ll described list for your area, send it quickly to-Patience Trevor, HBMC,Room204,Fortress House,23,Savile Row,London. If not,you may find that the extent of your local register may depend on the number of Garden History Society members or the list,if any,already produced by the. Centre for the Con- -servation of Hfiitoric Parks. and Gardens at York. Meanwhile,p0nder the fact that the Register is to be graded.Presumably, Stourhead and Stoodley Royal (for example)will be Grade I-but will oniy Grades I and II* (or equivalent) get grants?What system of protection,if any,applies to gardens on the Register? This one will run and run-or grow and grow. Not everyone in the region has yet joined or even acknowledged the association.It is hoped that meet- -ings like the one in Bath,which -11-
combine discussion about important issues with a chance to see the work and problems of others,will help to establish the group as a worthwhile forum. The next meeting will be held on Friday 14th September in Bristoldetails will be circulated.If anyone wants particular items raised,please mention them to Chris Smith,Avon County on 0272.290777 x 530 or to host for the meeting,Alastair Brook, Bristol City on 0272.26031 x 690. East Anglia ENGLISHHERITAGE During the past year or so reservations have been expressed about the role of the new Commission. However it does seem that 'privatisation' is bringing forward that innovative and entrepreneurial approach which is apart of all conservation officers• armoury. One aspect of this less remote involvment which can be of great help to us is the Commission's ability to send representatives to public inquiries. It seems that staff from the Commission have already been given instruction 01 the finer points of local inquiries and have already made appearances. Those of us looking for support in difficult apneals, particulary those concerning G~ade I and II* buildings and demolitions can look to English Heritage, who are, I believe, able to exchange proofs before the appeal. It will be interesting to see if they are prepared to intervene in LA.'s own proposals -often controversial and equivocal, and sometimes the most difficult for us to influence. ACO members with experience of this area of co-operation might like to share their views through 'Context•. Peter Richards ACO Business Reports Mlil<IBERSHIPJUMP Membership of ACOhas increased with a jump since the AGM and conference -the total now stands at over 260, an increase of.40 since March. This seems to indicate that the increase in subscription has not deterred potential new members, or caused any great numbers to resign in pr,otestJ Since the original Thelwell-adorned leaflet has now acquired a distinct rarity value, we are printing a membership application form in this issue so that crusading current members with forceful personalities may continue to solicit subscriptions from their colleagues. CONSERVATION OF COB BUILDINGS- AND 'rHE NEXT AGM ? Bernard Lane, Staff Tu.~or in Geography at the Dept of Extra-Mural Studies at Bristol University, has written to say that he is running a week-end course from 29th-3lst March 1985 on the conservation of cob. This will be held at the Dept's residential centre, Burwalls, just over the Clifton Suspension Bridge. He would be very pleased to run the course "in conjunction with ACO", and for us to hold our AGMduring the week end, as we did at Oxford this year. Cost will be about £45 including all meals, excursions and single room accommodation. There will be 'hands-on' e:x:perien ce: This seems a good idea: and very good value. My only comment is that a weekend entirely on cob might be a bit too much, and it might be preferable to include (for instance) some time on lime. Comments please. Details of the programme in next issue, or contact Bernard now at the Dept of l..:Xtra-Mural Studies, University of Bristol, BS8 lHR tel 0272 24161 ext 688, 2pm-5pm. Jenny Birkett -12-
TREASUR.BR 1S REPORT Thank you for supporting the £6 subscription at the AGM. Subs are coming in steadily. To any who have not sent off their renewal cheque or made out a Bankers Order - please try to do it soon. (in fact you haven't paid for this copy of 'Context•) Application Surname First Name Qualifications Local Authority (Members) or Public Body (Associate members) or other position (Honorary members) Work Address Work Phone Home Address Home Phone CONFIDENTIAL Preferred Address HOME/WORK _______ _ for Correspondence (marked PRIVATE) Any further information (optional) _______ _ eg. job title & grade I apply to become a Member/Associate member/Honorary member of the ACO and enclose a subscription/donation of £ (minimum £6) and a stamped addressed envelope. (signed) _______________ _ I endorse this application to join the ACO. (signed) Cheques should be made payable to the Association of Conservation Officers GOSSIP (Ed.note: writs,etc.to J.Fidler) Champagne-loosened tongues wagged at the International Council on Monuments & Sites UK Committee's binge at the Ritz in London two months ago.Incongruously sponsored by the Secretary to the Royal Fire Arts Commission's developer friends the glamorous event was aimed at fund raising but took the opport- -unity to appoint the English Heritage Commission's deputy chai~ man, the Duke of Gloucester, as president. "I've got a lot to learn about conservation" quipped the bespectacled duke worryinglyt Elsewhere amongst the hors d I cewres tipsy tit-bits fell from sozzled lips. The DOE mandarins responsibJe for the planning side of the "Streamlining the Cities" project to abolish the met.counties and the GLC had not realised that the Survey of London publication team of architectural historians was not administratively part of the GLC's Historic Buildings Division thus giving logistical difficulties in the proposed shipping of these organs respectively t'o the RCHM(UK) and to the CHB & M. Whilst the Royal Commission had gained a promise of extra funding to look after the Survey of London, no such cash has been set aside for -13the HB Division to join the company of Lord M. Down at the Mansion House Square Inquiry the forces of evil had sent one Richard Rogers into the inquisition to extol the virtues of Mies van der Rohe's detailing. Collapse of stout party when, after ranting fo~ minutes on the classical timelessness of Mies's glass and steel junctions, Rogers could not identify same from three naughty photos cunningly brought forth by the GLC. Every inquiry witness's dread overheard ·at the MH Square chat show: GLC QC to spurious historian .for Mr.Palumbo -"I'm just going
to spend the first h01£ hour of this cr9ss examinatiori discredit- -ing you as an ·exP,ert witness~" BOOK REVIEW "Urban Areas & Historic Buildings a quide to the legislation". by Charles Mynors. Yet another gu1de to the lawtTher:e have been numerotis alterations to conservation legislation in the past fe~ years, making both the law and its execution of consider- -able complexity. ACO member Charles Mynors' guide to the law published for the first time this year for the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea by the Architecturil Press Ltd (£14.50 in paperback) attempts to provide a step-by-step explanation of the procedures involved and boldly steps into direct competition with the other guides by Suddards and Cambridgeshire County Council. Covering broadly similar ground to the aforementioned documents, it scores points by illustrating various procedures by way of flow diagrams.With no small d~gree of clarity Mynors accurately plots the criteria £or gaining planning permission and the necessity £or applying for listed building _ consent.He aptly describes the lbc procedure and deals with the complexities of works to trees.On the thorny question of churches he is less articulate and should have read Dr.J.Madison's essay in the Victorian Society's Annual Report of 1982. It is questionable however whether planning officers as a whole can cope with yet another & different interpretation of the ever-changing, inter-connecting historic buildings and conservation legislation: to stack yet another secondary source book upon an already overcrowded planning law shelf. John Fidler. -14Diary Events diary for the next quarter Contributions as follows please: Date. "Title". Description. Who. Where.Cost.Contact. JULY -4-7 "Design in Context"seminar. Architecture '84.RIBA annual conference.York. £130 plus accommodation.01.580.5533. 4 "Old Regent Street".lecture Museum of London.London. 01.600.3699. 6 "The Ritz & Edwardian Hotels" lecture.Museum of London. London. 01.600.3699. 10 "Archaeology vs Taste in tte conservation of Georgian Buildings".Noon lecture. GLC HBdiv.London. J.Earl. 01.734.8144. 27-29 "Durham" weekend tour. SPAB.Durham.01.377.1644. 27- "Conservation".Weeklong 3/8 international summerschool West Dean College.Chichester £380/week or £38/day. Ms.Lacey.16, Eldon Grove. London.NW3. AUGUST 6-31 25 - 2/9 "Practical Conservation" workshop.Weald & Downland Open Air Museum.Chichester £500.Tel:0243.63348. "Conservation in Germany" Foreign tour.ASCHB. Germany. Imelda Taggart. 6, Khyber Rd. London. S\vl 1. SEPTEMBER 19-24 "Conservation Technology". Conference.Association £or Preservation Technology Toronto, Canada. J.Fidler. evens: 01.741.7297.
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