Heritage Buildings Archives - Page 2 of 2

Preserving the past – planning a sustainable future for Elvaston Castle

29th November 202217th March 2021 by Gary Stringer

Following the recent release of plans detailing the future of Elvaston Castle and Country Park, Planning & Design Practice Ltd are pleased to announce that they have been appointed as Heritage Planning Consultants for the ambitious redevelopment project. The proposed £35 million restoration and transformation of the in the 321-acre Derbyshire estate by Elvaston Castle and Garden Trust, in partnership with Derbyshire County Council will include its many listed buildings and historic features.

Planning & Design Practice Ltd recognise the importance of the built heritage in our towns, villages and rural areas. We have worked on numerous schemes affecting Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and Derby City Centre, with clients including John Smedleys Ltd, Meadowview Homes, and Staton Young Group.

Our team includes Director Jon Millhouse, a member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) who specialises in heritage planning and our architectural team leader Lindsay Cruddas who is a registered Specialist Conservation Architect, of which there are only of which there are currently only 130 in the country.

Jon Millhouse said, “We are pleased to have been invited to contribute to this exciting and worthwhile project, which seeks to secure a sustainable future for one of Derbyshire’s most valuable heritage sites.”

The regeneration of the site, which will remain a free at the point of entry country park, will help to create more than 170 new jobs and is expected to increase the number of visitors from its current 240,000 a year.

The funding for the project will come from a mix of public and private investment, including bids to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership and substantial investment from the county council itself.

Elvaston Castle, a gothic revival masterpiece lies at the heart of approximately 321 acres of open parkland, woodland and more formal historical gardens. Designed by James Wyatt in the early 1800s and based on the original house dating back to 1633, it was once the home of the Earls of Harrington. However, the Stanhope family left after the end of the Second World War, and Derbyshire County Council then rescued the site in the 1960s, saving it from development for mining and in 1970 the estate was opened as one of the first country parks in England.

Today both the buildings and gardens are registered (Grade 2 and Grade 2*) as being of special architectural and historical interest. Within the estate, structures such as the recently renovated golden gates, Moorish temple and ha-ha wall provide fascinating insights into the past.

Subject to planning permission, the proposed developments include bringing many of the historic buildings back into use as retail, office and workshop space or holiday cottages.

The upper floor of the castle itself would be turned into suites, with the potential to be hired out for weddings and other events. Other upgrades include a new main cafe, adventure playground and improved camping facilities.

The potential for repurposing these heritage assets to make them commercially viable for the 21st century and beyond, whilst retaining their unique character is something with which Planning & Design has great experience.

The county council intends that the day-to-day running of the estate will be managed by the Elvaston Castle and Gardens Trust (ECGT).

Trust chairman Dr Peter Robinson said: “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity and the thoughts and ideas contributed by locals and the wider Derbyshire community have been invaluable in shaping this plan.

“Like many people, I love Elvaston and visit frequently with family and friends.

“We have five years of hard work in front of us, but we’re determined to bring the castle, gardens and wider parkland back to life.”

Permission secured for Sheffield apartment scheme

29th November 202216th February 2021 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice Ltd were pleased to help Manchester based architects CAD Architecture to secure planning approval for a Sheffield apartment scheme, allowing the change of use and a rooftop extension of a landmark office building in the Sheffield city centre conservation area.

North Church House is a disused, uninspiring mid 20th century office block situated on a prominent corner plot in the historic quarter of Sheffield city centre. The applicants and their architects wished to extend the building upwards and convert it into apartments, but earlier versions of the design attracted objections from the City Council.

We assisted CAD Architecture by carrying out a heritage and context analysis, advising how the design could be amended to address the councils concerns, and explaining to the council how the development could be accommodated without harming the conservation area.

Planning & Design Practice director Jon Millhouse explains: “We looked carefully at the local context, how the development might sit in the street scene and be perceived from different viewpoints. As well as trying to assimilate the extension through setbacks and recessive materials, we also looked for opportunities for enhancement”.

Amended plans were approved in December and we look forward to seeing new life breathed back into this prominent building.

At Planning & Design Practice Ltd We recognise the importance of the built heritage in our towns, villages and rural areas.

We have worked on numerous schemes affecting Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Director Jon Millhouse specialises in heritage planning and architectural team leader Lindsay Cruddas is a registered Specialist Conservation Architect.

We use our experience to provide the right level of detail to accompany applications for planning permission and listed building consent.

With an office at The Workstation we have a close connection with Sheffield with numerous clients and projects in the region. Please get in touch for advice on any planning issues or potential projects.

Main Image: Sheffield apartment scheme at North Church House, CAD architecture.

The Legacy of “The Lady in Grey”, Shardlow

29th November 202220th January 2021 by Gary Stringer

Joseph Cattmull, Architectural Technologist at Planning & Design Practice Ltd talks about The Lady in Grey, in Shardlow, Derbyshire. Now sadly disused, he discusses the rich heritage of the building, as well as options and possibilities for its future development.

I am lucky enough to get to drive past a wonderful piece of architecture every day, unfortunately the building, the Lady in Grey lies unused, abandoned and progressively getting worse by the day. The Lady in Grey in Shardlow used to be a highly regarded hotel, and before that a beautiful family home. Somehow, despite its Grade II listed status, it has been allowed to deteriorate to a point where some may question whether it would even be fit for restoration.

It was originally built to be a family home by the Soresby family in the 1770’s and was named “The Lodge”. The image below shows the building in its days as a dwelling and its hard to picture how the building was ever allowed to get to the state it is in now, especially due to its Grade II listing in 1967. Between being a dwelling and its decline to where it is now, “The Lodge” was transformed into a hotel called “The Lady in Grey”, the name it still goes by today to the locals and from there it was a Thai restaurant. It could perhaps be put down to the change of uses which triggered the buildings slow decline.

The current condition of the Lady in Grey is of such significance to people I have spoken to within the town, who remember it in its former glory as a highly regarded Hotel/Restaurant. There was hope for its restoration in 2012 when it received listed buildings consent for the change of use back to a single dwelling, however this came alongside a refusal to build 8 dwellings on the canal side within its grounds. It is here where the problem lies, the cost of restoring a derelict building of this size would be enormous, and it must be accepted now that for its restoration to ever take place there will have to be further development in the grounds to offset the cost of restoration against.

To my mind, the rewards for restoring this building back to its former glory could be fantastic. Its location, right on the canal through Shardlow, overlooking the boat yards, is idealistic and it is a shame its prime location is not being utilised. As mentioned above though it is unrealistic to expect the site to be restored without further developments on the grounds.

This does not however have to be to the site’s detriment though. Perhaps the previous application for 8 dwellings on the canal side was a bit ambitious but people are often quick to picture the worst whenever the phrase “new build” is mentioned. Through clever architecture and site planning, the site could be transformed whilst still maintaining the feeling of grandeur the building must have had in its original form as a dwelling.

I believe that a more subtle approach would be more suitable for the site, maybe 2 or 3 dwellings situated more towards the roadside rather than right on the canal could be a more pleasing scheme for the planners. After all the, the additions to the building are of poor architectural quality and to my mind could be taken down to make way for roadside developments, detached from the Lady in Grey.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for the Lady in Grey, but I, along with other residents of Shardlow I am sure, can only hope that a solution can be reached for the site between the owner and the planners and that one day we can see the building brought back to its former glory.

Joseph Cattmull, Architectural Technologist, PLanning & design Practice Ltd

Reappraising brutalist architecture

29th November 202213th January 2021 by Gary Stringer

Some of the finest examples of brutalist architecture in the north of England are at risk of being torn down, according to Simon Phipps, the photographer behind the book Brutal North, who believes a crucial part of the country’s architectural history could be lost in the process.

Lindsay Cruddas, a RIBA accredited Specialist Conservation Architect from Planning & Design Practice Ltd shares her thoughts on this divisive architectural style, the factors involved in considering the listing and conservation of buildings and the role that the re-evaluation and re-use of Brutalist buildings can play in a zero carbon future.

Design is subjective and Brutalist Architecture isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. In fact, moons ago I would have also wondered why a derelict 1950s brutalist building isn’t being knocked down for redevelopment. However, opinions change and so does our perception of Heritage.

Victorian architecture was once new and the following generation wanted to tear it down to make way for new buildings, fortunately much of it survives today given the relatively slow turn around on buildings occupancy.

Brutalist architecture, which are largely constructed from concrete expanses of blank walls and dominating structures, were mainly used for large scale developments such as flats, universities, and public buildings. A favourite of mine is the Roger Stevens Building at the University of Leeds, the structure is of an impressive scale and connects several spaces together. The building is a central figure in the city campus and negotiates the change in levels of the site with a grand concrete staircase. The building was designed by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon and built at the campus in the late 1960s. The striking façade expresses the ventilation services in concrete and internally the building uses ramped circulation to access the lecture theatres. The building was only listed in 2010 but because of its Significance it was Grade II* listed.

Conservation and listing of buildings is dependent on several factors of why a place is importance and what is its significance. They are broken down into the following categories:

Evidential value: the potential of a place to yield evidence about past human activity.
Historical value: the ways in which past people, events and aspects of life can be connected through a place to the present – it tends to be illustrative or associative.
Aesthetic value: the ways in which people draw sensory and intellectual stimulation from a place.
Communal value: the meanings of a place for the people who relate to it, or for whom it figures in their collective experience or memory.

As we move further into the 21st Century, some of these buildings are now 50-70 years old, they are the next stage of our architectural history. Of course, not every single brutalist building deserves to be listed however they do deserve a second chance. Take Park Hill in Sheffield, it was in a dilapidated state until recent years and now it has been refurbished into office space, a nursery, residential and student accommodation. The building has had a new lease of life and is a vibrant area of Sheffield once again.

Locally Derby Assembly Rooms could be listed to help secure its future. The building has Aesthetic value in its striking appearance with expanse of concrete and domineering stature. The building has communal value, for may people the building will be known for concerts and performances and the annual Derby Young Farmers Ball.

As a nation we wanted to be carbon zero by 2016, which was never going to be achievable, but part of our future is the reuse of existing buildings. The sensitive restoration and imaginative adaptation to these brutalist buildings could assist in the carbon zero goal as well as retaining a key part of our architectural history.

Lindsay Cruddas, Specialist Conservation Architect, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

Planning Design recognise the importance of the built heritage in our towns, villages and rural areas. We have worked on numerous schemes affecting Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Director Jon Millhouse specialises in heritage planning and design team leader Lindsay Cruddas is a registered Specialist Conservation Architect.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us for a no obligation consultation to discuss your particular building or project.

Phase 2 of Chase Farm released

29th November 202215th December 2020 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice Ltd are delighted to see the ongoing progress of the Chase Farm development, with Phase 2 now released by our clients Chevin Homes. The site comprises an exclusive courtyard development of 8 bespoke dwellings, situated on the edge of the Peak District and enjoying fine views over the Derwent Valley.

The site formerly comprised of a derelict social club and carpark, two 19th century cottages and an agricultural barn. The whole site had been neglected for the last few years and the buildings were rapidly degrading. Planning & Design Practice Ltd achieved full planning permission for one new detached dwelling on the footprint of the old social club, a terrace of 4 new dwellings, the restoration of the two cottages and the conversion of the barn to a dwelling.

The site had its challenges, being located in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, which significantly impacts any potential development as it must either preserve or enhance its character and appearance. We engaged proactively with the Council and local Conservation Officer in lengthy discussions to secure a design that was not considered to harm the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site. The plans were designed to ensure that a high-quality scheme was produced, with careful attention to detail.

The site is being developed by high-quality housebuilder Chevin Homes and is proving to be hugely popular. With prices starting from as little as £225,000 (*£180,000 with Help To Buy), enquiries can be made by visiting www.chevinhomes.com or by contacting info@chevinhomes.com

Planning & Design Practice Ltd have worked on numerous schemes affecting the restoration of Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Director Jon Millhouse specialises in heritage planning and architectural team leader Lindsay Cruddas is a registered Specialist Conservation Architect.

For more information, or to discuss a specific project or property please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Historic mine storage building to be converted to a 3 bed dwelling

29th November 202224th November 2020 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice Ltd has been successful in achieving planning permission for the restoration and conversion of a historic mine building with links to two very rare minerals in Cromford, just outside Wirksworth. The site consists of a former miner’s building which is currently in use as a storage building. The building is historically connected with Bage Mine, a highly productive former lead mine. The mine was worked from at least the mid-18th Century – and very probably much earlier – through to circa 1910, yielding a total tonnage of lead ore (galena) that was only exceeded (in the Derbyshire ore field) by Millclose Mine. The mine is also the source of two very rare lead minerals, matlockite and cromfordite, both of which were first identified from this site.

The building itself, according to a document on the Peak District Mines Historical Society website is a former store shed built in connection with the mine. As can be seen from the photographs, in its current state, particularly with the way the front elevation has been rebuilt in different materials, it is considered that the building makes no positive contribution to the character area and its future was in doubt unless a viable future use could be found. Working with the planning authority and conservation officer, our proposal was designed to ensure that the traditional and simple industrial/workshop character of the building was retained, constituting a sensitive conversion of the building. The rebuild element to the north of the building will have a simple industrial character, again ensuring it is sympathetic to the site. The result will be a tasteful 3 bedroom dwelling finished in a combination of traditional limestone, black corrugated metal cladding and render.

We look forward to seeing the converted building in use in the near future.

Obtaining planning permission can provide you with that dream home in the countryside or maybe the way of life you have always dreamt of.

It can also bring about significant gains and help to maximise the value of your rural property. However, development in the countryside is subject to strict planning controls which can make obtaining planning permission very difficult. We have vast experience of working on rural projects for homeowners, landowners and farmers in rural areas including agricultural dwellings and occupancy conditions, farm diversification schemes and Class Q barn conversions. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for a no obligation consultation to discuss a particular building or project.

Richard Pigott, Director, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

Summer house consent in Conservation Area

29th November 202220th October 2020 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice Ltd have recently gained planning permission for a new summer house, within the grounds of a substantial Victorian residence in Carsington, within the Derbyshire Dales.

The site is within the Carsington and Hopton Conservation Area and previous design attempts by other agents had failed to meet the strict design criteria of this historic village.

The Carsington and Hopton Conservation Area, was designated in 1971 with the boundary extended again in 1994. In 2008/9 a comprehensive Character Appraisal was undertaken with a Draft Appraisal produced in May 2009. The Appraisal considered the special qualities and interests of the Conservation Area including its archaeological significance, the architectural and historic quality of the buildings, the relationship of the buildings and spaces, the landscape and the setting of the conservation area and the negative and neutral factors affecting the area.

Planning & Design Practice Ltd prepared a revised scheme for the summer house, consisting of an oak frame construction, built upon a solid plinth of Birchover stone. The traditional gabled roof is to be covered with lead, a reference to the ancient settlement of Lutudarum near Carsington, the administrative centre for the Roman Empire’s lead mining operations. To maximise sunlight within the summerhouse, vaulted, thin steel framed windows are to be used, set within the oak frame.

The revised design was found to be appropriately subservient yet of a high quality design as befits the Conservation Area. We look forward to seeing the scheme completed.

At Planning & Design Practice Ltd we recognise the importance of the built heritage in our towns, villages and rural areas.

We have the in-house expertise to ensure that proposals are designed sympathetically to conserve and enhance historic buildings and sites, and we use our experience to provide the right level of detail to accompany applications for planning permission and listed building consent.

For more information or to discuss your project or property, please get in touch.

Ongoing restoration heats up

30th November 202219th October 2020 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice Ltd were delighted to receive consent for underfloor heating as part of the ongoing restoration of the Grade II listed Highfield Farm, Derbyshire.

The farmhouse, built in the 17th century, was traditionally heated by a large fireplace in each room. The farm had been tenanted up until the early 21st century however had never been installed with modern central heating.

The insertion of radiators and associated heating system would involve significant intrusion into the historic fabric of the building, requiring holes to be cut into walls and floors to accommodate pipes. It was considered that underfloor heating presents a better method of heating historic buildings, being a low level of background heat, spread uniformly and maintaining a stable temperature for the building. Radiators, meanwhile, rely on convection, resulting in circulation of rising hot air and causing a draught.

The existing floors comprised non-original quarry tiles, from a variety of different manufacturers and likely reclaimed from another house. These were laid upon bare earth. Traditional buildings, of solid masonry construction and without a damp proof course, rely on vapour permeable materials to allow moisture to enter and exit the building. The insertion of a modern, impervious, concrete floor slab would force ground moisture into the walls, causing problems with damp. It was decided that a limecrete slab would instead be laid to maintain vapour permeability. Lime is also more environmentally friendly, being burnt at lower temperatures than Portland cement whilst absorbing CO2 during the setting process of carbonation.

The limecrete was combined with recycled foam glass, providing a vapour permeable layer of insulation to prevent heat loss.

The floor is to be completed with the insertion of new stone slabs, as would have likely existed originally in the 17th century farmhouse.

At Planning & Design Practice Ltd we recognise the importance of the built heritage in our towns, villages and rural areas. We have the in-house expertise to ensure that proposals are designed sympathetically to conserve and enhance historic buildings and sites.

We have worked on numerous schemes affecting the restoration of Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Director Jon Millhouse specialises in heritage planning and architectural team leader Lindsay Cruddas is a registered Specialist Conservation Architect.

For more information, or to discuss a specific project or property please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Main Image: George Henshaw, Planning & Design Practice Ltd.

Preserving the past – planning a sustainable future for Elvaston Castle

Permission secured for Sheffield apartment scheme

The Legacy of “The Lady in Grey”, Shardlow

Reappraising brutalist architecture

Phase 2 of Chase Farm released

Historic mine storage building to be converted to a 3 bed dwelling

Summer house consent in Conservation Area

Ongoing restoration heats up

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