Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Director of Place and Economy on the Grand Western Canal Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan.

The Cabinet had before it a report * from the Director of Place and Economy on the Grand Western Canal Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Regeneration outlined the contents of the report with particular reference to the following:

• The Grand Western Canal Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan, including the amendments to the extent of the Grand Western Canal Conservation Area be formally adopted.
• Sections 69 & 71 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 stated that local authorities shall from time to time determine which parts of their area were areas of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it was desirable to preserve or enhance.
• The Grand Western Canal Conservation Area was adopted in 1994, and had not been subject to a review or had proposals for its preservation and enhancement published.
• The Council had prepared the Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan in order to meet the requirements of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), as amended in December 2023.
• This Appraisal & Management Plan was far superior and much more robust than the 1½ page brevity of the 1994 Report and it now had taken into account the changes in methodology and best practice. 
• A full and comprehensive public engagement and consultation exercise on the draft document had taken place. The report included a summary of the public consultation and the key issues raised. All comments received were reported in full within Appendix 2, together with the Council’s response and the changes that had been made to the Conservation Area appraisal.
• The specific changes made to the document following the public consultation included:

Land adjacent to Tidcombe Hall, Tiverton – The Council had been made aware that Tidcombe Hall and the land adjacent was at one time in the same ownership and had contributed to the layout of the canal. The land adjacent to Tidcombe Hall therefore had sufficient special interest to justify the retention in the Conservation Area and this approach was consistent with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

Pondground Cottage, Holcombe Rogus – The Council had been made aware that Pondground Cottage and the adjacent land had historic links to the nearby quarries and the canal. It was therefore proposed to retain this area within the Conservation Area boundary. This approach was consistent with the NPPF requirement to ensure that Conservation Areas had sufficient architectural or historic interest to warrant designation.

Area of woodland known as ‘Snakes Wood’, Tiverton – The boundary of the Conservation Area adjacent to Snakes Wood had been amended to include the canal’s embankment. Residents who were opposed to the de-designation of the woodland and had raised a variety of points including ecology, wellbeing and health as positive attributes for the area. Local planning authorities should ensure that an area justified designation because of its special architectural or historic interest. This area of woodland was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 85