Agenda item

To consider the report of the Strategic Director for Place.

Councillors Hughes and Pole arrived during the officer’s presentation and did not participate in the debate or vote for this item.

The Assistant Service Lead - City Development presented the application for: roof and floor repairs; external masonry and wall repairs; re-building of the parapet; replacement of 20^th Century windows in sail loft; the removal of external wall cement rendering and replacement with lime render; and replacement of 20^th Century fixed slatted shutters on the south elevation.The property was grade II listed and located in the Topsham Conservation Area.

Members received a presentation (supplemented to the agenda) which provided detail on:

·         the site location;

·         aerial views and museum photos;

·         the proposal overview and site photos of the roof;

·         the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) objection to the roof repairs;

·         officer advice in response to comments made by SPAB;

·         an overview of the floor joist repair proposal and site photos;

·         detail of the proposed cross-section;

·         proposed first and second floor plans;

·         an objection from SPAB for the structural joist repairs at the first and second floors;

·         officer response to comments made by SPAB;

·         proposal overview and west and north elevations;

·         parapet photos;

·         the proposal overview of the replacement of windows in the sail loft and site photos;

·         an objection from SPAB relating to the window replacement and officer advice provided;

·         the proposal overview for the removal of the external wall cement rendering and replacement with lime render and photos;

·         the proposal overview for the replacement of 20^th Century fixed slatter shutters on the south elevation and photos;

·         an objection to replacement windows from SPAB; and

·         officer recommendation was to approve with conditions outlined in the report.

Particular reference was made to the application being for a listed building consent and not a planning application, consequently the issues relating to neighbourhood impacts and highways were not for consideration.

The Assistant Service Lead - City Development and the Senior Planner - Conservation responded to questions from Members as follows:

·         the floor struts, which had been objected to by SPAB would be concealed and not be visible;

·         consultation with heritage groups was dependent on the building’s era, however SPAB could comment on any relevant building;

·         the conservation officer had counted the exact number of ceiling joists needing repair on the submitted plans, and this was fewer than the number identified in the SPAB objection; and

·         the lead contractor was an experienced joiner, and their on-site assessment would determine the appropriate repair method for the joists.

During the debate, Members expressed the following views:

·         it was important to there was a need to consider the application carefully and being open and transparent about the application;

·         the historic building requires urgent extensive repairs to prevent further deterioration, and the scaffolding need to be removed as promptly as possible following this, as this is impacting on traffic and image of the building;

·         the team had undertaken an excellent evaluation of the building; and

·         expressed support for the officer’s recommendations.

Councillor Atkinson moved and Councillor Ketchin seconded a motion to move to the vote to accept the officer’s recommendations.

The recommendation was to GRANT subject to conditions as set out in the report and following a vote was carried unanimously.

RESOLVED that planning permission for roof and floor repairs, external masonry and wall repairs, re-building of parapet, replacement of 20^th Century windows in sail loft, the removal of external wall cement rendering and replacement with lime render and replacement of 20^th Century fixed slatted shutters on south elevation be approved subject to the conditions set out in the report.