Tuesday 14th March 2017
Re: Harlestone Conservation Area Appraisal Consultation (Monday 13th March 10am- Monday 24th April 5pm)
Daventry District Council is about to start a consultation on the draft Harlestone Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan (Appraisal).
This document sets out the features which contribute to the significance of the area, and suggests policies and recommendations for its preservation and enhancement.
The current review proposes to extend the conservation area boundary to include areas and properties which contribute to the overall historic and aesthetic interest of the settlement.
The draft Appraisal can be viewed on the Council’s website at: www.daventrydc.gov.uk/ConservationAreas
Hard copies will be available for inspection during the consultation period at Daventry District Council, Lodge Road, Daventry, and also the libraries at Daventry, Brixworth, Moulton, Long Buckby and Woodford Halse, and at the Harlestone Village Institute, during normal opening hours.
Daventry District Council welcomes comments as to whether the Appraisal should be adopted as it stands or with amendments.
Please mark letters and emails with the name of the document on which you are commenting.
The consultation process commences on Monday 13th March at 10am and closes at 5pm Monday 24th April.Comments cannot be accepted after this time.
Comments on the document in writing should be forwarded to:
heritage@daventrydc.gov.uk
Or, alternatively, by post to:
Rhian Morgan
Heritage Policy Officer,
Local Strategy Service,
Daventry District Council,
Lodge Road,
Daventry,
NN11 4FP
Contact Officer- Rhian Morgan- 01327 302503
Your comments will be used to inform the Appraisal document.
If you have any queries regarding the documents please get in touch with the contact officer as identified above.
Kind Regards,
Rhian Morgan
Heritage Policy Officer
Local Strategy Service
Daventry District Council
Lodge Road
Daventry
NN11 4FP
Kelly Turner
Technical Administration Officer
Local Strategy Service
Monday 30th January 2017 Letter from Daventry District Council
Dear Mr Sheilds.
Firstly, may I thank you for attending the exhibition on behalf of the Althorp Estate, and for your aid so far during the drafting process of the Harlestone Village Conservation Area Appraisal.
Thank you for your letter dated 26th January 2017. The council is not currently in a formal stage of consultation, therefore I am not in a position to provide a formal response to the comments you raise, however there are a number of points that you raise that I thought it would be helpful to provide some feedback on as set out below:
The stated aim of the preliminary exhibition was to publicise the appraisal process furthering the presentation by DDC officers at the Harlestone Parish Council Meeting on 4th January 2017. The purpose of the exhibition was an initial information gathering and sharing opportunity during the drafting stage of the appraisal, prior to any boundary changes being formalised in the Appraisal document which will be available for public consultation.
Informal consultation at the exhibition at such an early stage is in accordance with DDC’s emerging review of its Statement of Community Involvement; plans shown at the exhibition therefore did not identify any proposed boundary change because those changes will be informed, in part, by the feedback at the exhibition. Plans which showed the current conservation area were unfortunately removed from the exhibition early on by an attendee.
It is important to remember that the exhibition was early in the review process, and further opportunities to comment on the appraisal including a revised boundary will be provided over a six week consultation period, together with a public meeting. The dates for these will be announced shortly.
The protection afforded to the buildings in Harlestone by the Estate is very welcome. However, conservation area status is an overarching statutory system which protects significant aspects of the historic environment, to an extent, in perpetuity. DDC has a statutory duty to review and designate new areas under Section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. DDC is committed to engaging with all stakeholders in the community to produce robust appraisal documents and designate areas based on their architectural or historic interest. As noted above, the ability to formally comment on any proposals will be facilitated by a six week consultation period as part of the process.
It is agreed that agricultural land and woodland of little historic significance should not normally be included in conservation area designation, as it is unlikely to meet the test of having special architectural or historic interest, nor is it the best way to protect such assets. However, in the case of Harlestone, the presence of a significant designed landscape and historic plantations which have direct associative value with the former Harlestone Park, redesigned in the early 19th century by Humphrey Repton and John Adey Repton, justify further analysis and could well satisfy the test. Furthermore, Historic England guidance states that “Setting is not a heritage asset, nor a heritage designation, though land within a setting may itself be designated….Its importance lies in what it contributes to the significance of the heritage asset. This depends on a wide range of physical elements within, as well as perceptual and associational attributes pertaining to, the heritage asset’s surroundings”. It is therefore appropriate to consider all aspects of Harlestone’s rural setting, including but not limited to listed buildings, such as views over surrounding countryside.
The area of study for the appraisal includes the area known as the “Builder’s Yard” and as such its relative significance will be taken into account, as well as any opportunities for its enhancement. DDC welcomes any information which may be pertinent to the appraisal regarding specific areas or properties.
Once the six week consultation is underway, there will be an opportunity to make formal comments to DDC – you will be notified when this consultation starts. It is currently intended to be in the middle of March.
Yours sincerely,
Rhian Morgan
Heritage Policy Officer
