Agenda item

The Planning Manager:

a.    presented the Lincoln High Street Character Appraisal to seek Planning Committee’s endorsement to adopt this document as formal supplementary planning guidance, prior to referral to Executive for approval

b.    advised that in order to achieve the successful management of the 11 conservation areas within the City Council’s administrative boundary, they should be periodically appraised in terms of their special character and appearance

c.    stated that in considering how to approach the first appraisal, it was felt that the High Street was an appropriate place to start because of its significance and importance as the principal commercial zone within the City

d.    advised that the area appraised commenced at the bottom of The Strait and terminated at Monson Street. incorporating parts of 3 current conservation areas; Cathedral and City Centre No1, West Parade and Brayford No6 and St Peter-at-Gowts No2

e.    emphasised that the appraisal provided valuable information which could be taken into account when submitting and considering planning applications to inform what proposals and development should come forward in the interests of the proper planning of the area

f.     advised that the document did not replace the current conservation area designations or create a new conservation area; it was intended as a supplementary document to provide valuable context to the reason why those areas had been designated conservation areas in the first place and provide an important character assessment of Lincoln’s High Street

g.    requested Members support to the adoption of the attached ‘Lincoln High Street Character Appraisal’ document as formal guidance, commissioned by the City of Lincoln Council and carried out by a planning and conservation consultant, prior to referral to the City Council’s Executive for approval.

Members considered the content of the report in further detail. The following questions emerged from discussions held:

·         Who decided where the area appraisal commenced and ended? Were members’ points of view taken into account?

·         Had members of Historic Environment Advisory Panel been consulted?

Councillor Hewson moved that the appraisal area be extended to the lower High Street.

The Planning Manager offered the following points of clarification to assist members in their deliberations:

·         The extent of the appraisal area was determined to make it manageable in order to apply for funding streams.

·         In due course the review may form the basis of the formal conservation area renewal process.

·         All other areas including the lower High Street would also be appraised.

·         The process would be rolled out reviewing conservation areas across the whole city.

·         The footprint chosen made sense as a character area.

·         The area had been chosen by officers as it was manageable. It was within the gift of members to make changes to this decision if they were so minded.

·         A view had been taken that Monson Street was at the far limit to which the appraisal area could stretch and there had to be a cut off at some point.

·         Larger areas were more expensive to review.

·         The area was chosen using the expertise of the Principal Conservation Officer and the City Archaeologist and had been discussed at Historic Environment Advisory Panel.

·         It was possible if required to pull together an indicative list of future areas to be appraised as part of the formal review of conservation areas, to be included within the report submitted to Executive.

Councillor Hewson was satisfied with the Planning Manager’s further explanation and did not wish to further pursue the motion he raised earlier.

RESOLVED that:

1.    The adoption of the Lincoln High Street Character Appraisal document be supported by Planning Committee as formal guidance and be referred to the City of Lincoln Council’s Executive for approval.

2.    An indicative list of future areas to be appraised as part of the formal review of conservation areas be included within the referral documents submitted to Executive.