PAPER B1

ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL PLANNING COMMITTEE - TUESDAY 3 APRIL 2001

REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENT SERVICES

PROPOSED CONSERVATION AREA - WHIPPINGHAM/OSBORNE/EAST COWES

SUMMARY

To consider a request from the local Member and local amenity groups for the possible designation of a Conservation Area, or Areas within the Whippingham/Osborne Wards under Sections 69, 71 and 72 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 and under Section 4.2. of Planning Policy Guidance Note 15 (September 1994).

OPTIONS

1. To consider the designation of the Conservation Area located in and around the Whippingham Church area and to proceed to designation immediately.

2. To consider other areas for possible designation as Conservation Areas and;

(a) to proceed with designation of these; or

(b) not to proceed with designation, with the reason that these areas do not contain sufficient character or historical quality to merit designation.

3. Not to proceed with designation of any of the considered areas.

4. To proceed with further investigations, but not to designate at this time.

RECOMMENDATION

To consider the designation of the Conservation Area located in and around the Whippingham Church area and to proceed to designation immediately.

BACKGROUND

In April 1999 consideration was given, and an assessment carried out, of the East Cowes area to identify whether parts of the town might be suitable for a Conservation Area. It was considered that Cowes falls into four distinct building areas, some of which partially overlap, but each quite easily identified on an ordnance map. The town is effectively cut in two by York Avenue. However, the following areas are identified as having some historical interest:

1. The area to the north of York Avenue which includes much of the built-up area of the town for the last fifty years has few historic buildings within the area, apart from the Old Lodge to East Cowes Castle (now demolished) and some isolated historic buildings forming the southern boundary to Norris Castle.

2. The area to the south of York Avenue into the north of Victoria Grove, containing to the west side of the area much of the mid 1880s Victorian upsurge in building, with many of the properties being in terraces or groups of two, with very tight and narrow frontages. Some of these properties have long gardens to the rear, but most form a very densely populated street system in the town. To the east is a sightly more open form of building, the properties either being late Victorian or early Edwardian in their construction, with some intrusion by 1930s and 1950s building.

3. The third part is to the south of Victoria Grove and this contains much of the early 20^th century building work up to and including the 1950s and 1960s, with some later building fragmented throughout the area. It also contains the industrial side of the town with large holding tanks and heavy machinery.

4. The area to the east of York Avenue containing the properties of Osborne House and to the south Barton Manor is really the most historic part of Cowes and indeed is often referred to as the historic centre of the Island. It contains Osborne House with Swiss Cottage, the properties known as Albert Cottage, Osborne Cottage, Victoria Cottage, all of which face onto York Avenue, with the various lodge houses and Triumphal Arch entry gateway, the only intrusion here is the old Westlands factory unhappily captured between the southern end of Osborne in the western side of Barton Manor.

Having identified the main areas of the town, these were subdivided into six areas where groups, basically small groups, of buildings because of their quality, design or style are of historic interest. These have been identified and are as follows:

1. The area to the north of the town located within the roads of the Esplanade, Cambridge Road and Albany Road, which has some interesting buildings in a three storey terrace with ornate ironwork to the front facade and the long terrace facing out onto the Esplanade believed to be Victorian almshouses. Nonetheless, the other buildings roundabout are of quite low architectural quality, with many in a poor state of repair. It is considered that this area is too small and fragmented to benefit from the designation of the Conservation Area.

2. A group of houses to the north of Newbarn Road and located to the north of the Old Road consisting of around twelve houses of late Victorian or early Edwardian construction, many of them of the detached villa type and most in a very good state of repair. Nonetheless, it is considered that this area is again too small to benefit from Conservation Area status and there is little other quality building within the near vicinity which could be added in to any Conservation boundary.

3. A group of houses to the east of York Avenue encompassing Albert Cottage, Osborne Cottage and Victoria Cottage form a cohesive group, particularly with the covered way linking the two main buildings and also to the north encompassing the Triumphal Arch as the main entry into the Osborne grounds. However, they all benefit from being Grade II listed buildings and although the character of the buildings is fairly consistent throughout, there are few other buildings roundabout of any consequence and they are really are linked in style and location to the grounds of Osborne. It is considered therefore, that the conservation would be unnecessary given that the listed building legislation is quite strong in their protection, and again the area is too small.

4. Along the north side of Victoria Grove, particularly to the west end, are two long terraces of semi-detached and detached mid Victorian houses and these, in fact, are probably the best selection within the area identified above between York Avenue and Victoria Grove. This particularly with an aspect onto the recreation ground to the south where they can be properly assessed. Nonetheless, there is no other identifiable focus for a Conservation Area here and it would seem inappropriate to form a Conservation Area for just two terraces of buildings. I would suggest therefore, that this area also fails the Conservation Area test.

5. Within the 1850s and 1880s timescale the building area identified above, known as Kings Road (Victoria Road), is a very close knit double row of terrace houses that are both attractive in setting and also in their architectural characteristics that they portray. Nonetheless, I would suggest that there are insufficient original buildings which would include original windows and chimneys etc for Conservation Area status to be applied in this instance.

6. Area 6 as noted on the enclosed plan is located at the foot of York Avenue encompassing the Church of St James (notable for its tomb to John Nash the imminent architect) and also the group of terraced Victorian cottages onto York Avenue before it reaches Castle Street. There is also a small group of buildings which includes the old Methodist Church and the red brick building directly opposite the floating bridge. However, this is divorced by modern development from the main area. Within this area there is a listed terrace (nos. 1-10 Clarence Road) and reflected in the terraces on the west side of Clarence Road, but not listed. There is a tree which is contained in the pedestrian part of York Avenue, at the Ferry Road intersection which has some historic interest. This area has some merit in being a loose focus for the town, but when compared to the Conservation Areas that already exist on the Island, there is insufficient identifiable character and to designate this area would be to water down the principle of architectural quality of the existing 24 Conservation Areas on the Island.

The object of designation of a Conservation Area is firstly to identify the character of the area, the important buildings which contribute to this character and the architectural quality which contributes to the overall ambience. There must be as a consequence of the above, a clearly defined area which may include such things as churches, landscaped areas, town squares, gardens and perhaps even a collection of a particular building style, or a particular age of building construction. Having used the above criteria in the six suggested areas, I am of the opinion that whilst some of the criteria are met in these areas, there is insufficient original character, insufficient cohesive grouping and lack of focus in these areas to warrant designation.

Whippingham Conservation Area Appraisal

Following on from this report, further consideration was given to the area focussed on St Mildred's Church off Beatrice Avenue in Whippingham, and an assessment has been made of this area with the full criteria set out in PPG15 as terms of reference.

The area contains five main listed buildings, St Mildred's Church which is Grade I, the Old Rectory, the Victoria and Albert Almshouses including the lych gate to St Mildred's Church, which are all Grade II listed buildings and Padmore House located to the east which is a Grade II listed building.

In terms of the history of Whippingham, this area is of relatively recent historic value, with Padmore House being the oldest property built at around the turn of the 19^th century, and now some 200 years old. St Mildred's Church, built between 1854 and 1862 by Albert Jenkins Humbert, with the assistance of Prince Albert, and the Victoria and Albert Cottages, built around 1880 by order of Queen Victoria, are all built in Victorian gothic and therefore can be said to have collective character within the area.

As part of the consideration of a Conservation Area, the ground, land, policies and setting of the historic buildings are also important and the area around the Church with the graveyard, obviously has historical importance, whilst the Old Rectory, contained in substantial grounds, contributes considerable to the general ambience of the area. The Almshouses are set in well landscaped gardens and actually these garden grounds enclose Truckells Cottages which themselves are not listed, but again contribute to quality and character of the area.

Padmore House, which is located some 400 metres to the west of St Mildred's Church, should be included in this group, although it is of earlier vintage, but displays the same characteristics in the considerable estate grounds and setting and I believe, should be included in any assessment of the area.

Given the obvious architectural quality of this area, the settings of the listed buildings, the grouping, (albeit loosely with Padmore House) and the contribution that the general undulation of the landscape around makes, I would recommend that this area be given serious consideration as a Conservation Area, since I believe it complies with the criteria set out in PPG15.

I would therefore recommend that option 1 be undertaken at the earliest opportunity and a proposal for a designation of a Conservation Area in the Whippingham area returned to this Committee under the formal designation proposal procedure.

D W JAGGAR
Director of Environment Services