SAVE LEGAL CHALLENGE SECURES
REPRIEVE FOR VICTORIAN SCHOOL
SAVE Britain’s Heritage is delighted to announce that Clarence Street School in Bolton has been granted a reprieve after the Council conceded that its decision to demolish it for a temporary car park was unlawful.
In a dramatic turn of events, and with demolition underway, SAVE’s lawyers, Susan Ring of Richard Buxton Solicitors and Barristers Richard Harwood and Caroline Allen of 39 Essex Street, successfully obtained an injunction preventing the council from continuing with the demolition pending a judicial review. The council has now conceded that it failed to take into account its own Development Brief for the site when granting itself consent for redevelopment and has accepted that this consent should be quashed.
SAVE now hopes that the council will revisit its excellent Development Brief which praises the 1890s former school as ‘of architectural merit’, ‘a significant landmark feature’ and of 'high value in terms of its contribution to local distinctiveness' and explore ways this handsome building can be brought back into use, and provide a catalyst for the conservation-led regeneration of the area. SAVE has already commissioned the architect Huw Thomas to produce an outline scheme for the conversion of the building and rejuvenation of its setting.
William Palin, Secretary of SAVE, says ‘This is very good news for Clarence Street and for Bolton as a whole. We now hope that Bolton Council will follow the advice of its own regeneration team and actively seek ways in which this building can be brought back into use. SAVE has been campaigning for the preservation and reuse of historic buildings for over 30 years and we are eager to offer our experience and expertise to help this project forward. As some damage was done before demolition was halted it is now imperative that the council acts fast to secure the school from the elements in order to halt any further deterioration.’
Marcus Binney, President of SAVE says ‘From the beginning SAVE has been willing to take up the cause of buildings in extreme danger, repeatedly initiating legal proceedings to stop imminent demolition. This is the first time we have stopped a demolition that has already begun, thanks to lightning action by our lawyers. We are determined this prominent landmark should be given the new lease of life the council originally intended. This case illustrates a wider threat to numerous solidly built and well-designed older buildings which are not protected by listing.’.
Brian Tetlow, Chairman of the Bolton and District Civic Trust says: ‘We are delighted by this news. The Civic Trust does all in its power to preserve Bolton’s rich architectural heritage and it is regrettable that a building of substance and quality could have been considered for demolition when the council had recognised its value. We would sincerely hope that moves can be made quickly to repair the building and bring it in to beneficial use.’
Notes to editors:
SAVE Britain’s Heritage has been campaigning for historic buildings since its formation in 1975 by a group of architects, journalists and planners. It is a strong, independent voice in conservation, free to respond rapidly to emergencies and to speak out loud for the historic built environment.
In 1995 SAVE published the report Beacons of Learning; Breathing New Life into Old Schools which lists 128 schools built between 1870 and 1900 which have now been converted. The report focuses on the plight of urban schools in England and Wales and contains essays and illustrated case studies of demolished, converted and empty and threatened school buildings (£11.50 / £9.20 incl. p&p).
For further information contact:
William Palin, Secretary, SAVE Britain’s Heritage, 70 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EJ
Tel: 020 7253 3500. Email: office@savebritainsheritage.org http://www.savebritainsheritage.org
SAVE’s Legal Team
Susan Ring
Richard Buxton Environmental and Planning Law
19B Victoria Street
Cambridge CB1 1JP
http://www.richardbuxton.co.uk
Richard Harwood and Caroline Allen
39 Essex Street
London WC2R 3AT
http://www.39essex.com
Just what Gordon wants to kick-start the economy out of recession. If we just keep all the old stuff no-one will need nice new shiny stuff and we'll be doomed to recession. Imagine the mess the economy would be in if we had cars, tellys and mobile phones that lasted for hundreds of years like period properties. Disaster.Nemesis said:Yes - it's the same everywhere - 'regeneration' ie developers profit.
Historic building's demolition halted
8:00am Thursday 4th December 2008
By Julian Thorpe »
THE demolition of an historic town centre building has been halted after Bolton Council admitted that its decision to tear it down was unlawful.
A conservation group, Save Britain’s Heritage (SBH), has been campaigning for weeks to save the former Bolton Community College Building in Clarence Street from destruction.
Now the council has conceded defeat over the way it handled the planning process.
The council wanted to pull down the historic red brick building, which is on a prominent development site, and replace it with a temporary 103-space car park, which it says will be needed to serve shoppers when the Bath Street car park closes in January.
The demolition was halted last month, when SBH obtained a High Court injunction. Now the council has agreed not to fight SBH in court for the right to demolish the building.
Bolton Civic Trust chairman Brian Tetlow said: “The trust does all in its power to preserve Bolton’s rich architectural heritage and it is regrettable that a building of substance and quality could have been considered for demolition when the council had recognised its value.
“We would sincerely hope that moves can be made quickly to repair the building and bring it into use.”
The lynchpin of SBH’s argument was the discovery of the council’s regeneration development brief, put together earlier this year, which praised Clarence Street’s historical, cultural and architectural value.
The council admitted in a letter to SBH that the decision to demolish the building was made without regard to the brief, which made it “unlawful”.
SBH secretary William Palin said: “We now hope the council will follow the advice of its regeneration team and seek ways in which this building can be brought back into use.”
A council spokesman said: “We have taken legal advice and chosen not to contest Save Britain’s Heritage’s claims. We are are looking forward to sitting down with them to discuss the future of the building.”
“However, we are disappointed that since the group started proceedings, they have been reluctant to talk to us.”
Prince Charles backs fight for Turton Tower
1:50pm Thursday 4th December 2008
By Julian Thorpe »
PRINCE Charles is backing a 10-year-old girl’s fight to save an historic 15th-century building from closure.
Natalie Heaney was upset when she read in The Bolton News in August that Turton Tower may have to close because of a dispute about how it was funded.
She was so angry that she wrote to Prince Charles, asking if there was anything he could do to prevent it shutting down.
Now the Prince has replied offering his support as well as advising Natalie on where she could go to for more help.
Natalie, who lives in Bromley Cross, Bolton, told the heir: “Turton Tower is 600 years old and a beautiful place. I love to go there with my mother and it would be a shame to close it down, so that is why I need your help to make sure this does not happen.
“This building means a lot to everyone in our village and to lose it does not bear thinking about.”
She was delighted when she received the reply. The letter, written on his behalf by his secretary, says: “It was so kind of you to take the trouble to write such a heartfelt and expressive letter to His Royal Highness about your family’s love for Turton Tower and your concern that it might be closed.”
It went on to say that Prince Charles takes a great interest in historic buildings and advised Natalie to contact Save Britain’s Heritage, a charity which campaigns to preserve historic buildings.
Natalie’s mum, Angela Heaney, said she was very proud of her daughter for writing to Prince Charles, and she was delighted that she had received a reply.
She said: “I think it’s brilliant. The fact that a 10-year-old has such strong feelings and wanted to do something about it is amazing.
“She was really chuffed to bits about getting a reply.”
Turton Tower is currently maintained by Lancashire County Council, but the authority wants to withdraw its support because the tower has been outside the county council’s borders since Blackburn with Darwen Council became a unitary authority in 1998.
Blackburn with Darwen Council says it cannot afford the estimated £200,000 a year needed to maintain the building, so the two authorities are locked in negotiations about who will continue to supply the cash in the long term.
Blackburn councillor Jean Rigby warned in August that the Tower may have to close to the public if no agreement can be reached.
Negotiations about the future of the Tower are still ongoing.