# / . 4 % 8 4 - ! 9 4HE SELECTED AREAS WERE #ONSERVATION AREAS "UILDINGS 4HE (ANGER (ILL 'ARDEN %STATE %ALING 4HE !LEXANDRA #OTTAGES %STATE "ROMLEY 4HE7OODGRANGE %STATE .EWHAM -ARYPORT #UMBRIA #ONTROL AREAS 3AXON $RIVE %ALING 3OUTH -ARYPORT #UMBRIA 4OTAL 5SING AN ! SIZED TEMPLATE THE SURVEY RECORDED THE EXISTING MATERIAL OF THE PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS OF THE FRONT ELEVATIONS CHIMNEYS ROOF RAINWATER GOODS WALL WINDOWS AND DOOR AND THE DEGREE OF ALTERATION )T ALSO INCLUDED ELEMENTS THAT MIGHT BE FOUND IN A PARTICULAR AREA SUCH AS MOULDINGS PORCHES VERANDAS IRONWORK FRONT GARDENS AND BOUNDARY WALLS 4HE SURVEY CONCENTRATED ON CHANGES TO THE BASELINE ELEMENTS BUT THERE IS NO REASON WHY MODERN ADDITIONS SUCH AS BURGLAR ALARMS VENTILATING GRILLES AND SATELLITE DISHES COULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS WELL #LEARLY A SPECIALIST INPUT IS NECESSARY TO ESTABLISH THE RANGE OF FIELDS APPROPRIATE TO THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AREA $ISCERNMENT MAY ALSO BE NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND SOME CHANGES SUCH AS NEAR MISS WINDOW REPLACEMENTS (OWEVER IT CAN BE ARGUED THAT CHANGE MAY NOT MATTER IF IT IS NOT OBVIOUS )T IS POSSIBLE THEREFORE THAT SURVEYS CAN BE SET UP IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY CAN BE CARRIED OUT BY A NON SPECIALIST WORKFORCE SUCH AS MEMBERS OF A CONSERVATION AREA ADVISORY COMMITTEE OR CIVIC SOCIETY $ATA FROM THE BUILDING SURVEYS WERE ENTERED IN A DATABASE %ACH ITEM WAS GIVEN A SURVIVAL RATING EXPRESSED AS THE PERCENTAGE OF THE ORIGINAL THAT REMAINS 4HUS COMPLETE SURVIVAL WOULD BE PER CENT WHILE A LOWERED CHIMNEY STACK WOULD BE PER CENT 7HERE THREE OUT OF FOUR WINDOWS HAD BEEN REPLACED IN PLASTIC THE SURVIVAL WOULD BE PER CENT 4HE SURVIVAL RATING WAS MULTIPLIED BY A WEIGHTING FIGURE TO REFLECT THE RELATIVE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CHANGES RESULTING IN A SCORE FOR EACH ITEM 4HE SUM OF THESE SCORES PRODUCED A TOTAL FOR EACH PROPERTY 4HE MAXIMUM SCORE IN EACH CASE IS PER CENT OF THE WEIGHTING FIGURES THAT IS COMPLETE SURVIVAL 4HE ACTUAL SCORE FOR EACH PROPERTY CAN BE COMPARED WITH THE THEORETICAL MAXIMUM %XPRESSED AS A PERCENTAGE THIS GIVES THE MEASURE OF CHANGE 5SING A PERCENTAGE ENABLES COMPARISONS TO BE MADE BETWEEN SURVEYS OF DIFFERENT AREAS EVEN THOUGH DIFFERENT FIELDS MAY BE USED !N INDEX OF CHANGE FOR A WHOLE AREA CAN BE ACHIEVED BY TAKING THE AVERAGE OF THE CHANGES RECORDED FOR EACH OF THE CONSTITUENT PROPERTIES 4HE STATISTICAL APPROACH CAN BE SUMMARISED THUS 3TATISTICAL ANALYSIS s 0ERCENTAGE OF ORIGINAL ITEM EXISTING SURVIVAL RATING s 3URVIVAL RATING X WEIGHTING SCORE FOR EACH ITEM s 3UM OF ITEM SCORES TOTAL SCORE FOR BUILDING OR AREA s PER CENT X WEIGHTING MAXIMUM POSSIBLE SCORE s 4OTAL SCORE MAX SCORE X MEASURE OF CHANGE 7EIGHTING IS NECESSARY BECAUSE SOME CHANGES ARE BUILDING BYELAWS INTRODUCED AFTER THE &IRE OF ,ONDON TO THE CURRENT BUILDING REGULATIONS 4HOSE WHO NOW SEEK TO INSTALL DOUBLE GLAZING IN LISTED BUILDINGS WILL OFTEN QUOTE GOVERNMENT EXPECTATIONS FOR FUEL ECONOMY EVEN THOUGH ENERGY SAVING POLICIES HAVE NEVER DIRECTLY ADVOCATED IT 4HE ACCELERATING PACE OF CHANGE HAS SEEN AN INCREASING CONSCIOUSNESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 4HIS HAS RESULTED IN A SET OF VALUES BEING ACCORDED TO THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT %ROSION OCCURS WHEN THESE VALUES ARE ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY CHANGE /N THE OTHER HAND SOME CHANGES ARE BENIGN n THE RESTORATION OF MISSING FEATURES FOR INSTANCE %ROSIVE OR ENHANCING CHANGE IS ALSO A MATTER OF HOW IT IS PERCEIVED 3ENSITIVITY ! REPLACEMENT WINDOW THAT DIFFERS ONLY IN A FEW MINOR BUT CRUCIAL RESPECTS MAY BE DEVASTATING TO A PRECIOUS LISTED BUILDING BUT TOLERABLE ELSEWHERE 2ELATIVITY 3OME CHANGES MATTER MORE THAN OTHERS 0LASTIC WINDOWS REGISTER MORE THAN PLASTIC GUTTERS -AGNITUDE ! REPLACEMENT WINDOW THAT REQUIRED THE REMOVAL OF MASONRY TO ALTER THE PROPORTIONS WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY BE FAR WORSE THAN ONE THAT FITTED THE EXISTING OPENING !CCUMULATION 3MALL SCALE CHANGES THAT ARE INOFFENSIVE IN A SINGLE ITERATION MAY HAVE AN EROSIVE EFFECT THROUGH REPETITION LEADING TO AN INSIDIOUS DECLINE 3PEED 4HE RATE OF CHANGE WHICH CAN BE MEASURED BY SUCCESSIVE SURVEYS MAY ITSELF BE A CAUSE FOR ALARM 4HIS MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH NEW OWNERSHIP OR A SHIFT TO THE RENTAL MARKET %XTENT !N ALTERATION MAY BE ENDEMIC AND REGARDED AS NEUTRAL RATHER THAN EROSIVE TELEVISION AERIALS FOR INSTANCE ARE RARELY CONSIDERED A MAJOR ISSUE )S IT POSSIBLE THAT SATELLITE DISHES COULD COME TO BE SEEN IN THE SAME WAY 3URVIVAL 3OME CHANGES THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED NEGATIVE HAVE SURVIVED THE TEST OF TIME TO BECOME CHERISHED RARITIES !N EXAMPLE MIGHT BE AN ART DECO SHOPFRONT ON A 6ICTORIAN BUILDING 4HE DIVERSITY OF MULTI PERIOD CONSERVATION AREAS COMPLICATES THE UNDERSTANDING OF VALUES AND THE EFFECT OF CHANGE 4HE LAYERING OF HISTORY BRINGS WITH IT THE NEED TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN EVOLUTION AND EROSION 4HIS CAN BE ACHIEVED BY RELATING THE ASSESSMENT OF CHANGE BACK TO THE DEFINITION OF SPECIAL INTEREST ESTABLISHED BY AN APPRAISAL 4HE DYNAMICS OF CHANGE MEAN THAT THERE SHOULD BE TWO SURVEYS ONE TO ESTABLISH A BASELINE AND ONE FOR COMPARISON AFTER THE PASSAGE OF TIME &OR THIS STUDY TO PROCEED IMMEDIATELY IT WAS NECESSARY TO SELECT AREAS WHERE A PRE EXISTING BASELINE WAS READILY DISCERNIBLE 4HIS POINTED TO PLANNED ESTATES OF A SINGLE BUILD WHERE CHANGES FROM THE AS BUILT STATE COULD BE CONSIDERED 4HEREAFTER REGULAR SURVEYS ON A FOUR YEAR CYCLE WOULD BE NECESSARY TO SUPPORT COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT )N ADDITION TO THREE ,ONDON CONSERVATION AREAS -ARYPORT IN #UMBRIA WAS CHOSEN TO GIVE GEOGRAPHICAL AND TYPOLOGICAL DIVERSITY 4WO ADJACENT BUT UNDESIGNATED AREAS WERE ADDED AS A CONTROL
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