{"id":743,"date":"2019-02-03T08:56:25","date_gmt":"2019-02-03T08:56:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/mirror_bcs\/?p=743"},"modified":"2019-02-03T08:56:25","modified_gmt":"2019-02-03T08:56:25","slug":"planning-applications-december-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bournemouthcivicsociety.org.uk\/comments-on-planning-applications\/planning-applications-december-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning Applications December 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

PLANNING\u00a0 APPLICATIONS\u00a0 RECEIVED\u00a0 BY\u00a0 BOURNEMOUTH\u00a0 PLANNING\u00a0 DEPARTMENT\u00a0 DURING DECEMBER 2018 . A CRITIQUE\u00a0 BY\u00a0 JOHN\u00a0 SOANE,\u00a0 BUILT\u00a0 ENVIRONMENT\u00a0 CONSULTANT\u00a0 TO\u00a0 BOURNEMOUTH\u00a0 CIVIC\u00a0 SOCIETY<\/strong><\/p>\n

New School \u2013 Stafford Road, Maderia Road and\u00a0 Lansdown Road\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ref.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 7-2018-8363-G<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a major application to build a new educational\u00a0 academy serving children between 4 and 19 years by the Livingstone Educational Trust.\u00a0 With the exception of the listed,\u00a0 early twentieth century, neo-baroque, Old Court Building in Stafford Road, the new structures in modernist style would be constructed on the site of all the adjacent \u00a0late nineteenth\/mid twentieth century buildings, recently used by Bournemouth Police and Bournemouth Magistrates, which would be demolished.<\/p>\n

The Society notes that as a result of the considerable recent increase in the number of children of school age\u00a0 living in the more central areas of Bournemouth, the need for a new school in an accessible position in the town has become more urgent.\u00a0\u00a0 We therefore accept that the old police station site is a reasonable place for the new educational facilities. We note that the historic and listed Court building would be transformed into class rooms for the \u00a0Sixth Form, the adjacent\u00a0 modernist 1960\u2019s \u00a0Crown Court extension would become the new Primary School, while the new build extension along Maderia Road would house the Secondary School classes.<\/p>\n

The principal facade along Maderia Road would consist\u00a0 of a five storey horizontal block punctuated by groups of large standard sized square windows which would be divided by large scale \u00a0asymmetrical vertical fenestration elements in the centre.\u00a0 On the corner of Maderia\/Stafford Roads would be a three storey wing with deeply hooded windows towards Stafford Road and extensive walling and irregular fenestration towards Maderia Road.\u00a0 The design of the courtyard side of the new school would be made up of architectural elements\u00a0 taken from the Maderia Road elevation and\u00a0 in respect to the modernist crown court extension little visual change would be contemplated.<\/p>\n

The Society is of the opinion that while fully approving the planned extensive restoration of the \u00a0facade of the listed Old\u00a0 Court Building we do not think that the new construction does much to enhance further the aesthetic context of this historic structure.\u00a0\u00a0 Irrespective of the grandiloquent claim that what would be built would greatly improve the quality of the existing general environment and would harmonize with the adjacent townscape; the fact remains that the greater part of the site would be covered by public buildings designed\u00a0 in a catch all, government approved, not especially original, contemporary modernist style.\u00a0 But even if the existence of the existing crown court extension in Stafford Road and the presence of several recently built, modernist structures at the junction of Maderia and Landsdown Roads\u00a0 are an obvious invitation to build in a modernist idiom on this site;\u00a0 the Society believes this certainly does not excuse the absence of\u00a0 visual imagination and better design.<\/p>\n

For a start, we are strongly against the demolition of the elegant Old Police Station , a pleasing structure in Anglo-Dutch, seventeenth century neo-baroque style which we believe is large enough to be turned into viable school premises.\u00a0 Moreover even if the overall proportions of the large replacement new build block\u00a0 might be reasonably acceptable, the mechanistic positioning of the square windows and\u00a0 the un-coordinated central fenestration, \u00a0are we think, further\u00a0 design mistakes.\u00a0\u00a0 Finally the Society feels that the mass and architectural form of the side elevation of the principal facade at the corner of Stafford Road is far too insensitive in relation to the Old Court House.\u00a0 In addition we are certain that the heavily\u00a0 shaded windows on the corner of this elevation are visually unnecessary\u00a0 and may well \u00a0restrict sunlight on cloudy days.<\/p>\n

Therefore we suggest an overall\u00a0 more integrated approach: modern certainly,\u00a0 but \u00a0with a greater intuitive \u00a0respect for the general\u00a0 classical cannons of architectural form as\u00a0 seen in the Old Court House. Thus we think a symmetrically\u00a0 structured \u00a0principal facade with balancing three storey wings at each extremity along Maderia Road ( if decided upon ) would be an improvement together with a more regular fenestration scheme. However we also think that it is possible to enhance the appearance of windows in the centre without unbalancing the overall wall to window ration of the entire elevation.\u00a0\u00a0 We also think that the area of playground space allowed to the pupils in the courtyard area of the site is insufficient.\u00a0\u00a0 We are certain that this could be increased by the reduction of the width and the rearranging of the positions\u00a0 \u00a0of\u00a0 some of \u00a0the built elements at the rear of the site.<\/p>\n

Therefore after\u00a0 mature consideration the Society has decided that since this application does not properly fulfil\u00a0 the conditions of the Bournemouth Local Plan, it should be refused or deferred for further improvement.\u00a0 ( Policies 4.19,i,ii,iii)<\/p>\n

Punshon Memorial Church site,\u00a0 Exeter Road\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ref.\u00a0 No.7-2018-643-W<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is an application to construct a one to seven storey block of 85 flats and retail facilities on the site of the demolished Puncheon Memorial Church. The site has been subject to previous planning interests.<\/p>\n

The new building would be in the form of a generally rectangular block but with each floor creating a stepped appearance of different lengths on the western side elevation. The principal elevation, above\u00a0 the larger retail openings on the ground floor, would consist of six very similar floors \u00a0fronted by large vertical glass panels and set in front\u00a0 of prominent communial glass balconies which would support by means of regularly spaced supports, a common loggia for each floor.\u00a0 There would be a flat roofed penthouse above\u00a0 and in both the side and rear elevations\u00a0 vertical\u00a0 windows\/glass panels would be more prominent due to the absence of prominent balconies.<\/p>\n

The Society strongly \u00a0feel\u00a0 that in its excessive mass and form\u00a0 and\u00a0 in the unimaginative architectural\u00a0 design of its facades \u00a0this new proposed building is totally unsuitable for the very distinctive location in which it would be set.\u00a0 If it were built we are certain \u00a0it would create a most negative spatial disorientation in respect to the more proportionally balanced listed buildings either side:\u00a0 the Royal Exeter Hotel and\u00a0 the Punshon House Hotel.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Since the appearance of what is proposed is little better than the uninspiring and banal flat architecture of the 1960\u2019s; \u00a0if built, we think it would stick out like a sore thumb with negligible perception for the historical value of the area. We also feel that 85 flats is far too large a number of accommodation units for the size of the site.<\/p>\n

The Society would therefore suggest, certainly a modern building but in deference to its neighbours, a structure with a more\u00a0 integrated design in which a reduction of height \u00a0and a balanced\u00a0 synthesis of verticality with horizontality, without\u00a0 modernist ziggurat fads,\u00a0 all combining to allow a far better replacement to rise on the site of the Punshon Memorial Church.<\/p>\n

We have therefore decided that since this application falls considerably below the townscape policies of the Bournemouth Local Plan, it should be refused. \u00a0(Policy 4.19,i,ii,iii )<\/p>\n

3 Southbourne Coast Road\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ref. No.\u00a0 7-2018-19611-E<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is an application to build a two and a half storey block of two semi-detached houses on the site of an existing mid-twentieth century bungalow of some architectural pretension.\u00a0 The proposed structure would be rectangular and the principal seaward elevation would consist of four sets of symmetrically positioned French windows, the first floor with divided \u00a0Juliet balconies and large dormers in the double gabled hipped roof.\u00a0 The rear elevation would be simpler with regularly positioned vertical windows.<\/p>\n

On the one hand the Society realises that the gradual replacement of bungalows in this part of the Bournemouth\u00a0 Overcliff,\u00a0 over time could erode\u00a0 the existing low density \u00a0spatial setting and social structure of the existing townscape.\u00a0 At the same time we appreciate that there has been a particular trend in recent years towards the construction in places of\u00a0 higher density structures in this area.\u00a0\u00a0 We would suggest that the best way of solving what form of future development might eventually be allowed is to be guided by the particular spatial circumstances of the application.\u00a0 Thus in this case the proposed size of the form and mass of the new building can be regarded as a visual stepping stone between the small bungalows that continue further east and the larger apartment building recently constructed.\u00a0 We would however advise that the large six pane French windows on the principal facade be divided up into less block looking shapes. \u00a0Therefore under the circumstances, the Society recommends that because this application has not completely satisfied the townscape policies of the Bournemouth Local Plan it should be deferred for further improvement rather than be refused. ( Policy 4.19, i.ii.iii )<\/p>\n

58\u00a0 Harewood Avenue,\u00a0\u00a0 Ref. No 7-2018-23260-B<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is an application to demolish a single mid twentieth century family bungalow and replace it with a pair of semi-detached bungalows.\u00a0 The general design would be a fairly conventional semi tradition shape with French windows and a hipped roof.<\/p>\n

The Society asks itself whether it is right to begin increasing the density of somewhat larger buildings on plots that were originally designed\u00a0 for single plot use by family bungalows. In this respect our views are similar to local opinion where there is also the fear that if this and further\u00a0 applications of this kind were allowed \u00a0there would be an unwelcome increase in traffic and more to the point, valuable green space would be lost by means of\u00a0 \u201cgarden grabbing\u201d whereby hither to limited portions of un built on land around existing buildings would be excessively \u00a0developed by multiple residential structures. \u00a0In view of this we consider this application falls short of the requirements of the Bournemouth Local Plan and so should be refused. ( Policy 4.19, i.ii.iii )<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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