Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from S. Britton, D. Hollingworth and Councillor Johnson.

The Chair welcomed Georgina Rathbone as an observer at the meeting.

Members are asked to declare any interests they may have in the business to be discussed.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on 16 September 2009 are attached and the Panel is asked to confirm them as a correct record.

RESOLVED:

that the minutes of the Conservation Advisory Panel meeting held on 16 September 2009, be confirmed as a correct record.

There were no matters arising from the minutes.

The Director, Planning and Economic Development submits a report on planning applications received for consideration by the Panel.

A)  FIELDING JOHNSON BUILDING, UNIVERSITY ROAD

Pre-application 200990093P

Removal of room fittings

The Director said that this was a pre-application enquiry relating to a first floor conference room which was understood to have originally  been the dining hall for the asylum. It was noted that the room was refurbished in the 1960s by Trevor Dannett which halved the overall internal height of the room and severely reduced the amount of natural light. It was noted that the University would now like to remove the 1960s fittings to reinstate the original form of the room.

Some members felt that this was an important chapter in the buildings history and it would be a shame to remove it as there were not many Trevor Dannet interiors.  The Panel stated that they would need to see detailed proposals and queried whether they were going to re-instate the original form of the Italianate windows. The Panel stated that if a job was going to be completed then it needed to be done so properly.  The Panel generally had no objections to the ceiling being removed provided a detailed recording was made of the construction of the ceiling and the reinstatement work was comprehensive and fully restored the original detailing.

The Panel recommended approval on this application.

It was noted that the below two applications affected the setting of the Fielding Johnson Building

B)  UNIVERSITY ROAD, UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER

Planning Application 20091205

Alterations to access (adjacent to Astley Clarke Building); surfacing & landscaping

The Director said that the application primarily affected the most southerly entrance to the campus and included widening of the access road resurfacing and landscaping.

The Panel noted that the lodge had always had a functional relationship with the main building as it had the same brickwork as the main building and addressed the main entrance. Based on the evidence they strongly believed that the lodge was curtilage and should be retained.  If it was deemed that the building was curtilage and needed listed building consent the Panel would like to see it retained.

The Panel recommended refusal on this application.

C)  UNIVERSITY ROAD, UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER, FIELDING JOHNSON BUILDING

Planning Application 20091206

Alterations to land surrounding Fielding Johnson Building, surfacing, landscaping car and cycle parking

The Director said that the application focused on the area to the north side of the building and involved extensive resurfacing, landscaping, car park and cycle provision.

The Panel had some reservations regarding the raising of the levels around the listed building as it would affect its appearance and setting. They did not approve of the bike shelter which they felt could affect views of the Engineering Building and requested elevation details of both these issues including showing the shelter in relation to the Engineering Building. They did not like the tapestry of colours proposed for the hard landscaping and stated that they would also like more soft landscaping.

The Panel stated that they would like to see more details  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

To consider such other business as, in the opinion of the Chair, ought, by reason of special circumstances, to be considered urgently.

Members are asked to inform the Chair and Democratic Services Officer in advance of the meeting if they have urgent business that they wish to be considered.

There were no items of urgent business.

The meeting closed at 6:09 pm.