Agenda item

HERITAGE AT RISK UPDATE

Minutes:

Report  DRR19/026

 

Members were provided with information on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register and Bromley’s entries on the register.  The report also outlined the approach taken by the Council to seek repair, restoration or reuse of the listed structures.

 

As Heritage and Design Champion, visiting Councillor Nicholas Bennett JP addressed the Committee.

 

Members were informed that of the 23 entries on the At Risk Register, the Old Town Hall, the Royal Bell Hotel, the Klinger Factory and Scadbury Manor had either been granted permission or would be submitting applications to bring these sites back into use.

 

Four sites were associated with Crystal Palace Park, four were sited at the Civic Centre and four located at Biggin Hill.

 

Councillor Bennett’s concerns centred on the four sites at Biggin Hill owned by a lessee of the Council.  These were barrack blocks built in the late 1930s, which were vacant and deteriorating.  Councillor Bennett considered they should be made the subject of a Compulsory Purchase Order so they could be restored and brought back into positive use. 

 

In regard to Crystal Palace Park, the terraces had been crumbling for years and were in need of repair.  If the subway was brought back into everyday public use, a good standard of security would be required to guard against vandalism. 

 

As a result of the Council selling the ‘Y’ blocks at the Civic Centre, Councillor Bennett suggested that income from this be used to restore the ‘at risk’ buildings located at the Civic Centre.

 

Councillor Stevens urged the Council to seek actively a collaboration with the owner to bring the camps at Biggin Hill back up to standard.

 

The Principal Conservation Officer (PCO), confirmed the updates given by Councillor Bennett on the various at risk heritage sites. The barrack buildings at Biggin Hill had been vacant since the 1990s and the owner was not motivated to seek new uses for them.  At one stage, the Council did have a plan to work with Bromley College to bring forward educational use; unfortunately this did not come to fruition.  Discussions had taken place with Historic England who considered that Urgent Works Notices should be issued on the buildings to seek emergency repairs.  Members would receive an update on this matter towards the end of May. 

 

It was important to bear in mind that the nature of some of the assets owned by the Council, meant they could not easily be adapted for new use i.e. the terraces at Crystal Palace required a multi-million pound investment but they had no obvious use.  There is, however, an on-going regeneration plan for the park and it was envisaged that the terraces would be repaired as part of that plan.

 

The PCO had recommended that as part of any planning proposals put forward for the ‘Y’ buildings, the repair of assets should be imposed either by condition or a Section 106 Agreement. This was accepted by interested parties.

 

Members were invited to contact the PCO should they have any queries concerning sites on the At Risk Register.

 

Members were informed that all possibilities would be explored to restore use or carry out repairs to heritage assets whether they be Council owned or privately owned.

 

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

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