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ANNUAL REPORT - 2003
St Annes Town Hall - To be demolished?
CHAIRMAN'S REVIEW - Marion Coupe This is the perennial cry for help! Please consider joining the committee; you will find it very rewarding. We need help in all sorts of ways, from looking after our display boards to helping with the website and newsletter. Our new committee members are, of course, very welcome and have worked hard for the group. Janet Turner has written and researched large amounts of material for our book about to be published, and Barbara Salter has not only taken up the membership task but organized the coffee morning too. We thank all those who helped on that important day. Malcolm Burnett has been co-opted on to the committee during the course of the year, and we hope to welcome him as an elected member soon. Thanks to all
members of the Civic Society team, the technical committee, the
Witch Wood Group and all those who come forward willingly for extra
events. Everyone is welcome to the AGM on 18th September. Cheese
and apple pie will be served afterwards, (no charge). We were sorry
to receive news of the death of Jeanne Hughes, a longtime supporter
of the Society. Jeanne has generously left a legacy to the Society
in her will. We also heard of the death of Mr W D Austin who was
auditor for the Society for many years and, although infirm, kept
up his interest in our affairs to the very end. This has been a busy year, with very many comments made on planning applications in the Lytham St Annes Area and three applications made for spot listing. We do not confine our comments entirely to Conservation Areas and listed buildings, although these form the bulk of our concerns. The trend of the last few years to demolish old houses and build flats is continuing apace, and there will soon be no private houses left on North Promenade and Links Gate. Pressure on land is enormous as the proposed large housing developments on green-field sites on the edge of the town are having to be shelved. Builders are bringing in more use of attic space with higher pitched roofs together with basement parking. We have objected strongly to all such developments within conservation areas, and are also concerned about the area round Fairhaven Lake. We are very disappointed that the demolition of two houses near to the Lake has been approved, with the erection of a very bulky block of flats. One of the houses, Priselli, 257 Inner Promenade, was built in 1923 and has intact Art Deco interior fittings which no doubt will delight the architectural salvage industry. Far too many of the plans we see contain apartment blocks which are bland and obviously 'off the peg' i.e. they have been used already elsewhere. Architects are not always employed, and the quality of the plans themselves is poor, often not containing elevations to illustrate the impact of the new block on its surroundings. Perhaps they think the neighbours will also have succumbed to demolition by the time it is built. We ask that designs are site specific at the very least. We have objected strongly to the taking of land at Fylde RUFC, now used as playing fields, for housing (12 dwellings, 64 apartments), and to the new building in the green belt on the site of the Blackburn Home. Don Moore has provided a separate report on this example of destruction. The best new
buildings this year are the new RNLI Lifeboat House at St Annes,
and its miniature reflection - the café across the boating
pool. Fylde Borough Council is currently reviewing all of its services and part of the brief involves assessing office accommodation requirements. The Council has decided that the present Town Hall building no longer meets their requirements and has invited private developers to design and build new office accommodation. The Council wishes to sell the Town Hall and, indeed, all their other sites in the Borough. A planning application has been submitted for complete demolition of the Town Hall building and its replacement with 60 flats.
The Town Hall main building was originally the Southdown Hydro Hotel, built by William Porritt in 1896. It contains much of its original interior tiling, stained glass etc. and has been fairly well maintained over the years. Until recently the interiors have been respected, although some very recent building and re-wiring works have resulted in damage to plaster cornices and Minton tiled finishes. The loss of the original timber sliding sash windows is regrettable, but even this change has not turned out to be as detrimental as it could have been, given that the modern UPVC frames sit within the original sash boxes. We
object to the demolition of this building. It is the best quality
Porritt house on the best site in the town. It epitomises the vision
of the founders of the town in the quality of the materials used
both internally and externally. To demolish it makes a mockery of
the successful attempts to regenerate St Annes by building upon
its Victorian heritage. We cannot conserve on one side of the road
and demolish on the other.
The Public Offices were built in 1900 and symbolise the successful new town of St Annes on the Sea. We believe that they should be retained for community use. This is particularly important in the light of the probable re-organisation of local government, because a base in the town would then be kept. It could also be used by the expected new parish council. A Council proposal is for ceremonial, debating, and social functions of the Council to be housed in an extension to Lowther Pavilion. This would mean building in the park - not a popular solution! We
await news of our listing applications on these buildings. The building is now closed and the new KES/QMS School is all located on the KES site. It was spot listed on the instigation of a group of ex-pupils. QMS has been sold to Barratt Homes, a developer with little experience of the conversion of listed buildings. This can be the only explanation for the insensitive and mundane plans, which were produced. They were heavily criticized by ourselves, the Heritage Trust for the North West and English Heritage. Very ordinary housing was to be built around the main building, and the interior (original to 1930 and a good example of its kind) was to be gutted. The school opened in 1930, two years after all women got the vote, and was designed to make a positive statement about the education of girls. The entrance to the building is the most impressive in the Borough of Fylde. The large stone facade which surrounds the doorway, with full height classical columns, is a key feature of the building, giving maximum impact to the front view from Clifton Drive. Barratts have suggested converting the large wooden front entrance door into a window. This is quite ridiculous and completely destroys the integrity of the design of the building as a whole. A pedestrian entrance is required here, possibly with some visitor parking at the front, as there is now. Immediately
inside the entrance doors are the foundation stones set into the
wall, and then the hall opens into the corridor. This must be left
as communal space. There is no need to destroy the essential character
of this building in the way proposed. We await further news and
perhaps a more sensitive and intelligent approach. A
full report on our attempt to have Edenfield (of 1862) listed was
given in last February's newsletter. We were disappointed at English
Heritage's refusal to list it, but the inspector (who did not go
inside) did state that it was a most important part of the conservation
area and should not be lost. The
owners of Fosbrooke House (originally the fine classical house Riversleigh)
obtained demolition consent for it with a restriction that the replacement
building should be used only as a home for retired clergymen, as
the old one had been. Predictably, as the construction of two large
blocks nears completion, they have applied for the restriction to
be lifted. Fairlawn
now stands alone, as it did in 1846 when built by James Eden. We
welcome its restoration. The Edwardian and twentieth century additions
have been removed. The façade of the stable block appears
to teeter as it awaits a new structure behind it. A large new block
will be appearing soon and much of it will face down towards the
Green. We hope that it will not dominate the site to the detriment
of Fairlawn. The long tale of the attempts to demolish a section of cobble wall in Shepherd Street is still going on. Permission was refused for an infill house at the rear of 12a East Beach with rear vehicular access into Shepherd Street and pedestrian access to Bannister Street. A revised application was granted permission, as it did not seek to demolish the rear wall. Now, the applicants have gone to appeal on the first application and also put in a new application just to demolish the wall. These walls are gradually disappearing as boundary walls in the town. Their unique character conveys the essential vernacular heritage of Lytham. The recent excellent exhibition by the Lytham Heritage Group at the Heritage Centre illustrated their importance. Attempts to alter the one remaining cobble barn in the town (behind the Talbot) have, for now, been halted. Proposals by Lancashire County Council to break into the wall on Ballam Road to make a new entrance to Lytham Hall were fought off. The entrance to the housing development at Fylde RUFC will create a huge breach in the wall there. Decorative cobble and brick barns and shippons in the farmyard of Maudsley's Farm on Worsley Road will soon be no more. More wall will be lost when a new house is built next to the old Trawlboat Inn on Heyhouses Lane and also if a house is built to the rear of 3 West Beach. A breach in the cobble and brick wall which surrounds the triangle at the end of the Green was made by the Council when the Club Day Fair was re- located there for the first time. If
demolition of the large Shepherd Street section, about 6 feet high,
in the middle of the Lytham conservation area were allowed it would
really dismay all those who love the town and conservationists everywhere.
Please contact your local councillors. This
last year's was the most ambitious yet. The Lytham Magistrates Court
was used for school visits organized by Len Whiteside and his team
of magistrates on the Friday and Monday, and we are pleased to note
that it has since been used by them. The magistrates also helped
on the Saturday and Sunday. The attendance exceeded all records
and we gained several new members. The
Civic Society gives financial support to a number of other groups,
including Defend the Dunes, the St Annes Parish Council Steering
Group, St David's Road South Action Group and CPRE. We are members
of the Victorian Society and the Open Spaces Society. We
have been involved with the project for the new jetty since the
proposal was aired a few years ago to build a 'commercial pier',
and are making a grant towards it. The original plans for a replacement
proved to be far too expensive and the present solution has been
highly successful. The jetty has been constructed on top of the
old one (which has not sunk - the mud has risen), and is wider,
with passing places. The work was supervised by members of the Ribble
Cruising Club, with help from Fylde Borough Council. It now provides
good launching facilities for the RCC and the inshore RNLI boat
as well as a delightful walk for visitors.
Our
latest blue plaque was unveiled in the grounds of Heyhouses School
on 13th June by ex-text pilot Jimmy Dell in the presence of the
Rt Hon Michael Jack MP, the Mayor and Mayoress of Fylde, members
of the R.A.F.A., BAESYSTEMS, our committee members and others interested
in early flying. Medals were worn. Children from the school sang
and another tribute in the form of a propeller was unveiled inside
the school. The plaque was sponsored by BAE SYSTEMS. Our
exhibition boards have been on display at the White Church and Lytham
library and will be on show at the Heritage Open Days. At
last we have an autumn launch in our sights. This limited-edition
publication will be a souvenir of the important buildings in the
town as they are seen and appreciated now. There are photographs
of all the listed buildings, with descriptions. The closure of Witch Wood at Easter 2003 was the result of an agonising process of investigation into our insurance position. When Witch Wood was acquired, 27 years ago, society was very different, and the wood was not as heavily used as it has been recently. Nowadays, a culture of compensation claims has developed and 'trip hazards' are known to cause problems for local councils. Flagged pavements are being replaced by a dark amalgam all over the town. The paved path in the wood was put down in certain areas about 12 years ago after pressure from users regarding the boggy state of the paths during wet and winter weather. It has been very successful, and merged quite well into the woodland scene. Lately, the blocks have become displaced by moles and tree roots in many places, and by the heavy machinery brought in when Railtrack and others have had to fell trees and remove logs. On enquiry to our insurers it appeared that we were not insured relating to accidents on this path if we could not ensure that all hazards were removed as soon as we knew about them. We were inviting the public to use the wood and it is not sufficient to state that we are not liable for any risks, as we have done on the pillars at the entrances to the wood. So, in spite of having public liability cover, as we had thought, of £5m, those who are responsible for the wood were at personal financial risk. The first step, then, was formally to close the wood. Anyone using it would be, as stated on the signs, trespassing and would be there at their own risk. Obviously this was done with great reluctance, but we should remember that the wood is private property and is there only because of the generosity of a dedicated group of individuals. Over the years they have taken on the task of providing this wonderful and popular amenity for the town by giving freely of their time. The Society has raised funds for the wood's maintenance and is grateful for the donations which also have been received over the years from those who recognise the efforts that have been made. There have been criticisms in the press of our decision to close the wood by those who clearly do not understand that volunteers who do good for the community should not be put under financial risk. The woodland walk which was created by our dedicated volunteers over a generation ago is owned only partly by the Civic Society. Much of the area, bordering the railway line and the Lytham Station entrance is rented from Network Rail. The creation of the walk has been a great amenity for the area and we would not want to see the railway land separated from ours. It is not a public right of way. Our next step was to approach the Lancashire Wildlife Trust which has taken over the role and the quarters previously occupied by the Fylde Borough Council's Adult Training Scheme in St David's Road North. It was agreed that they should lay a trial path in the wood, near the middle bridge, made of a largely re-cycled material called 'top trek'. We have paid them to lay about 100 yards of this and have been monitoring it. They also removed the dangerous steps near the bridge.
The situation was then further complicated by the suggestion that the path could become a public right of way maintainable at the expense of Lancashire County Council. This would provide an excellent solution to our maintenance, risk-assessment, and insurance problems and would safeguard the path for the future. However the officials from the LCC who then visited the wood felt that the 'top trek' path might not be sufficiently robust for them to take on the responsibility of maintenance. They would also wish the hard path to run the whole length of the wood - an idea not favoured by everyone as we like to keep the wood as natural as possible. Another contractor was called in who has since produced a quotation very considerably higher than that of the Wildlife Trust but for a much sturdier path. We are now in discussions with Network Rail over the issue of the public right of way. We hope that members will now understand that this has not been a simple problem and that the committee have been spending a lot of time trying to find the best solution. It is likely that funding applications may have to be made if we decide to go for an expensive option for the new path, and this will also take time. We hope that progress will have been made by the time of the next newsletter. We will not be responding to any aggressive letters in the local newspaper from people who use the wood but do not support the Society. We must stress that the woodland itself is in very good order and well maintained. Work has continued on a weekly basis, with several new volunteers, and will resume in the autumn. Nettles and brambles have been cleared to help the growth of small trees. Most dogwalkers are now responsible and take their dog poo home or to a bin, but some have left not only the poo but their polythene bag too. We understand this odd and anti-social behaviour is a national problem. Lastly,
members can be certain of a celebration in the wood when the new
path is down, new explanatory signs are up and fencing and gateways
are repaired. Everyone will be invited. Following the refusal by Fylde BC in May 2002 for the conversion of the Blackburn Children's Home into 18 flats the developer appealed and a date was set for 28th May 2003 for the inquiry. FBC decided not to oppose that appeal but DTD sought Counsel's advice and prepared a sound case against it. That inquiry did not take place for the following.reasons. In parallel with the earlier case the developer lodged a new application late in 2002. DTD opposed this and made it clear to the Councillors on the Development Control Committee (DCC) how the application was contrary to the Development Plan. We also organised a number of speakers, including Marion Coupe for the Civic Society, who all spoke at the DCC meeting itself under the newly introduced arrangements. In addition, we had made the Government Office for the North West aware of how the application was contrary to greenbelt and conservation policies, and, although they were minded to call in the previous application for public inquiry, they decided not to call in this one. At the DCC meeting in April this year the FBC Built Development Unit and several councillors argued that the proposal was not contrary to policy. Further, Mr Ken Lee, FBC Chief Executive, intruded into the DCC meeting, bringing financial aspects, which were not planning issues, into the argument to bully the councillors into voting for the application. Unfortunately, the spurious financial arguments won the day, and the proposal to convert the derelict building into flats was approved. DTD believes that, with both planning applications, the FBC Built Development Unit failed to present to the DCC a balanced case based on planning policy, and the way the DCC meetings were conducted seemed to us to be improper. As these aspects are crucial to local democracy in the Borough we went through the process of complaining to FBC and have now taken our complaints to the Local Government Ombudsman. The LGO has written to FBC asking for their side of the story and we wait to hear, and to pass comment, on their response. There is a more positive situation regarding coastal management. We have held discussions with FBC and with Blackpool BC on coastal management. Both Borough Councils, in conjunction with English Nature and others, have set up a Steering Group to prepare a unified Coastal Management Plan for the undeveloped stretches of the Fylde Coast. As part of this process they commissioned a technical report which has now been completed in draft form. Parts agree with previous DTD proposals but we have commented on several aspects not adequately covered. We remain disappointed thatpositive action is taking so long but at least we are involved in the process. On Friday 10th October 2003 there will be a presentation by Don and Sheila Moore entitled ' The North West Coast from the Mersey to the Kent'. This will be at the YMCA, St Albans Road, St Annes at 7.30pm. Admission is £1, with all proceeds going to the Defend the Dunes group and its attempts to preserve our coastal heritage. There will also be a progress report on the activities of the Group. Further
details from 01253 728318 The Federation, now over 20 years old, continues to be a useful and friendly forum where officials from the many and varied Societies in the County meet not only to pick up ideas from each other but to unite together in common causes. The Annual convention is held in a different venue each year and this year it was in Higher Walton (with Kathleen Ferrier memories). Talks were given on updating planning matters and a 'Life in Lancashire' panel. Agreement was also given for participation in a regional federation, but this Lancashire Federation must remain. With the N.W. Regional Assembly now very likely to be established the proposal to form a regional Civic Trust became a reality, The North West Association of Civic Trust Societies (NWACTS) was inaugurated. It comprises the Federations of Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside together with the unitary bodies of Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Halton and Warrington. General meetings have approved a Constitution and a proportional basis for its Management committee. Meetings have already taken place with Assembly officers with an obvious input on wider issues. Local
government (in the widest sense of the term) is in a state of flux,
and it is vital to keep in step with change. The response to the appeal last year for old photographs and postcards of Lytham St Annes and the Fylde has produced some interesting additions to our archive. Any material offered can either be copied and the original returned to the owner or given to the Society for safe keeping. The major part of the archive is still the unique collection of postcards dating from early in the last century, and these cards are being copied onto film and made available for exhibitions and slide shows such as the one in our social programme earlier this year. Another valuable collection is the series of black and white mounted prints of photographs which the Society commissioned from the Lytham St Annes Photographic Society in the 1970s, and which now form a valuable record of the town and its buildings at that time. Some 350 colour photographs have been taken in preparation for the coming book on listed buildings at the turn of the millennium. The book will use about half this series, to illustrate the 102 presently listed buildings and also some other buildings of heritage interest. All
the material we hold has been of great value in considering the
background to development to planning applications, and the Society
has liased with the local authority, the libraries and the Heritage
Group in making our photographic material freely available. Another year has passed and we look back over our calendar of events and remember the talks and social events throughout the year. These were happy occasions, which gave us all the opportunity to meet together. Our four evenings of talks provided us with a variety of topics. Don and Sheila Moore in their audio/visual view of the Ribble Way gave us an entertaining and descriptive account of the Ribble countryside. Ann Pinder of the Heritage Trust of the North West gave an interesting insight into the life of the Clifton family at Lytham Hall. Dr Martin Varley from the Friends of the Lake District presented an informative and unusual talk on the landscape protection of the Lake District. Finally, Grant Smith and Tom Stringer evoked a feeling of nostalgia in many of us as we viewed their slides of past and present Lytham. Not being able to hold our Christmas celebration at Lytham Hall was a disappointment as the setting is so suitable. In the event, our evening at the Assembly Rooms was a sell out, and a huge success. The delicious buffet meal, followed by an evening of music arranged by Marjorie Pennington, gave us all a fitting start to the festive season. The New Year lunch at the Chadwick Hotel, on Sunday, 12th January, proved popular. The hum of conversation was evidence that members were enjoying meeting friends and pleasing comments were made on the food. The coffee morning, a regular feature of our programme, was this year organised by Barbara Salter. It was a busy morning for Barbara and her willing team of volunteers. Their efforts raised £306 for Society funds. I
am sure all who went to Chester enjoyed the day. As reported in
the May newsletter, the Chester Civic Society was our host and we
were most warmly welcomed by the chairman, Peter Bingham, and the
vice-chairman, Stephen Langtree, who took us on a short and informative
walk around the town centre. After lunch there was a tour of the
cathedral with Blue Badge Guide Peggy Grimshaw. She impressed everyone
with her sparkling personality and enthusiasm. Our sincere thanks
go to the Chester Society for making such a day possible. We hope
to reciprocate with the same warm hospitality when their members
come to Lytham and Lytham Hall on 15th October 2003.
LOCAL INVOLVEMENT: Apart from its own activities the Society has representatives on:
For more information, see the following websites: Lytham St Annes Civic Society - www.lsacivic.org St Annes Community Arts Centre - www.saart.org Defend the Dunes - www.defendthedunes.org.uk Supporters of Ashton Gardens - www.ashtongardens.org.uk The Civic Trust - www.civictrust.org.uk 17 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AW Views on our activities or on other happenings are always welcome, |
