Agenda item

To determine the application.

David Rowen presented the report to members.

Members received a presentation, from Councillor Mrs French, who had been given permission to address the committee by Councillor Mrs Davis who had assumed the position of Chairman for this agenda item.

Councillor Mrs French explained that in 1985 the building was listed, and it is her understanding that the building had once been owned by Cambridgeshire County Council and had been used as a Magistrates Court for many years. She added that when the building ceased to be used as a court it was purchased it its dilapidated state by a local person and it was handed to March Civic Society, so that the building was protected.

Councillor Mrs French stated that the March Civic Society were then awarded a National Lottery Grant of £1,000,000 and the building was renovated to include the double-glazed units in the café element of the building which has gone on to be very successful. She added that it appears that whenever the Civic Society apply for further works to be undertaken to the building they encounter problems.

Councillor Mrs French made the point that there were problems with their application for double glazed windows which needed to be replaced due to the condition of the existing windows which were falling out and the approval was conditioned to state that the wood used had to be soft wood instead of hard wood. She explained that the existing door to the building is original and is 120 years old and has been repaired between 15 and 20 times and it is very difficult to open.

Councillor Mrs French expressed the view that she does want this type of building preserved and the Civic Trust have tried their upmost to do that and have been prepared to spend money on the upkeep of the building. She made the point that the new door is not a cheap door and will cost in the region of £10,000 to £12,000.

Councillor Mrs French stated that she found it interesting to hear the view of the County Council and added that under the March Area Transport Study there will be major changes undertaken in the Market Place and she questioned whether the County Council Highway Department will need a Listed Building because it is in the setting of a Listed Building.

Members received a presentation in accordance with the public participation procedure from Matthew Hall, the Agent. Mr Hall explained that the committee will recall that the building was given Listed Building consent for the replacement of existing timber framed windows to double glazed units in 2018 and a further application in 2020. He stated that the proposal is to replace the existing double doors with new double doors with double glazed fan lights which will all match the existing style with no change in the actual opening size.

Mr Hall explained that the joiner D R Betts who made the windows and installed them, has visited the site and inspected the door and he made reference to an email which the joiner has provided following that visit. Mr Hall read the email to members which stated that ‘ I have been and inspected the doors and feel that it is better to replace them as there are several layers of thick paint on the doors which has hidden the features of the mouldings, particularly the staff bead moulds on the meeting rails and in my experience the best way to remove this is to have them dipped, however this could cause problems once it dries out as it may cause the panels to crack, having said that I noticed that there are a couple of panels already cracked with a crack running down them and there are mouldings which have been cut through for the letter box and pieces of timber inserted where the lock has been removed. The hinge style on the left-hand side appears to have split where it meets the curved top rail, the door looks like it has dropped due to its weight and may require clamping and re gluing’.

Mr Hall stated that the door has been repaired on numerous occasions with new wood being spliced in along with adjustments to the ironmongery and locking mechanism and replacements to the locking mechanism on several occasions. He explained that it is his opinion along with that of the March Civic Trust that when reviewing the comments of the Conservation Officer on 30 August, it would appear that the Conservation Officer has not visited the site to review the doors.

Mr Hall explained that the applicant is happy to provide joinery details of the proposed doors and the locking mechanism referred to by Cambridgeshire Constabulary as part of a condition. He stated that the existing doors can be removed and donated to March Museum to keep them within the Town of March as a relic of the town’s history.

Mr Hall added that the approved replacement of the windows previously in the Listed Building, together with the earlier setting of the aluminium framed windows and doors in the café, shows approval for the replacement of the fabric in the building.

Members asked Mr Hall the following questions:

·       Councillor Miscandlon asked Mr Hall whether he was aware of the comments made by the Conservation Officer before the report came before the Planning Committee? Mr Hall confirmed he had received an email on the 30 August and was aware of the comments. Councillor Miscandlon questioned why the additional information had not been provided in order for a more pragmatic decision to be made? Mr Hall stated that when the application was submitted the Planning Officer requested some further information and this was submitted along with a covering email to explain why he felt the door should be replaced but nothing further has been submitted.

Members asked questions, made comments and received responses as follows:

·       Councillor Murphy stated that the applicant wishes to install a reasonable door on the building. He added that he welcomes the fact that it is not for in perpetuity otherwise in 200 years it will require a replacement again. Councillor Murphy expressed the view that it is of a nice design and will add to the building. He stated that it is a building that has been brought to life and it will be enhanced with the replacement doors.

·       Councillor Miscandlon stated that he agrees with the points made by Councillor Murphy. He expressed the view that the building has been subject to various modifications to bring it up to date and the current door is in a very poor state of disrepair and it needs to be replaced rather than keep making interim repairs. Councillor Miscandlon added that the applicant is not replacing it with a plastic door and it is being replaced with something far more substantial and he will support the application.

·       Councillor Marks stated that he fails to understand why something is repaired on numerous occasions until nothing of the original fabric of the door is left and it should just be replaced.

·       Councillor Mrs Mayor highlighted the fact that the elements need to be considered and the fact that there is a draught. She added that the cost of heating a building now needs to be taken into consideration and she will be voting against the officer’s recommendation. 

·       Councillor Benney stated that that he agrees with the comments made by the other members. He added that he can recall when the application for the replacement windows was submitted, and he made the point that at that time that the best way to keep a building in good repair is to keep it used and maintained to a good standard. Councillor Benney stated that a new door is maintenance and although it is expensive that is because it is being done properly and he will support the application.

·       Councillor Mrs Davis stated that when you stand in front of the existing doors the old repairs are visible, including the thickness of the paint and some of the beading that is lifting. She added that she is aware that the door has recently caused visitors to the building having problems when leaving as they were unable to physically push the door open, resulting in having to call somebody to open the door from the outside. Councillor Mrs Davis made the point that from the drawings that members have seen it is a very fair replacement of the door which is costing a significant amount of money. She added that she agrees with the point raised by Councillor Mrs Mayor who made reference to the cost of heating and the door will go some way to mitigate that.

Proposed by Councillor Miscandlon, seconded by Councillor Murphy and agreed that the application be APPROVED against the officer’s recommendation with authority delegated to officers to formulate suitable conditions.

Nick Harding stated that the likely conditions would relate to the material to be used to construct the door and with regards to the design details, the Agent has already stated that they would be willing to provide detailed drawings of the design of the door. 

Members did not support officers’ recommendation for refusal as they do not feel that the replacement door will be detrimental to the historic nature of the building in any way whatsoever.

(Councillors Connor, Skoulding and Councillor Mrs French declared that they are all members of March Town Council and following advice sought from the Legal Officer decided that they would take no part in the discussion and voting thereon on this item)

(Councillor Mrs Davis took the Chair for this item)