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Register of Buildings and Sites of Architectural, Historical and Archaeological Importance: Appeal against registration – 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 & 29-31 Commercial Buildings, St Helier.

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A decision made (01/12/2006) regarding Register of Buildings and Sites of Architectural, Historical and Archaeological Importance: Appeal against registration – 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 & 29-31 Commercial Buildings, St Helier.

Subject:

Register of Buildings and Sites of Architectural, Historical and Archaeological Importance: Appeal against registration – 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 & 29-31 Commercial Buildings, St Helier

Decision Reference:

MD-PE-2006-0198

Exempt clause(s):

Some attachments and their content exempt under 3.2.1(b)

Type of Report (oral or written):

Written/oral

Person Giving Report (if oral):

Historic Buildings Officer/ Curator of Historic Buildings

Telephone or

e-mail meeting

n/a

Report

File ref:

3/04/02/01/Ministerial Reports/Commercial Buildings

Written Report

Title:

Register of Buildings and Sites of Architectural, Archaeological and Historical Importance in Jersey - assessment of appeal against the registration of 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 & 29-31 Commercial Buildings, St Helier

Written report – Author:

Curator of Historic Buildings

Decision(s): The Minister for Planning and Environment determined that:

1. The following buildings shall be retained on the Register as proposed Sites of Special Interest: The merchant’s house/offices at 11 & 12 Commercial Buildings;

2. The following buildings shall be downgraded to Buildings of Local Interest: The merchant’s houses/offices at 10, 13, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 & 27 Commercial Buildings and the Warehouses at 30 & 31 Commercial Buildings.

3. The following buildings shall be removed from the Register: warehouses to the rear of 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 & 29 Commercial Buildings.

4. The views of the Ministerial Registration and Listing Advisory Group should be sought in relation to Warehouses ‘A’ (west) and ‘B’ (east) to the rear of 21 Commercial Buildings.

Reason(s) for decision

In accordance with the strategic objective ‘to protect the best of the Island’s architectural heritage’ of the Island Plan 2002, and Policy HB1 of the Interim Policies for the Conservation of Historic Buildings:

The merchant’s house/offices at 11 & 12 Commercial Buildings satisfy the criteria for Registration as proposed Sites of Special Interest.

The merchant’s houses/offices at 10, 13, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 & 27 Commercial Buildings and the Warehouses at 30 & 31 Commercial Buildings satisfy the criteria for Registration as Buildings of Local Interest.

The warehouses to the rear of 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 & 29 Commercial Buildings do not satisfy the criteria for Registration.

The Minister considered that further advice should be sought in respect of an assessment of Warehouses ‘A’ (west) and ‘B’ (east) to the rear of 21 Commercial Buildings.

Action required:

  Notify the appellant of the decision

  Amend the Historic Buildings Register accordingly

  Notify Development Control - Urban Section of the decision

· Prepare relevant papers associated with the proposed designation of nos. 11 and 12, Commercial Buildings as Sites of Special Interest, to be the subject of a further report to the Minister

· Refer the assessment of Warehouses ‘A’ (west) and ‘B’ (east) to the rear of 21 Commercial Buildings to the Ministerial Registration and Listing Advisory Group.

Signature:

(Minister/ Assistant Minister)

Date of Decision:

1 December 2006

 

 

 

 

 

Hide report
Register of Buildings and Sites of Architectural, Historical and Archaeological Importance: Appeal against registration – 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 & 29-31 Commercial Buildings, St Helier.

 

 

Item No:

 

 

Date:

PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT

Register of Buildings and Sites of Architectural, Archaeological and Historical Importance

Appeal against the registration of

Nos.10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 & 29-31

Commercial Buildings, St Helier

Purpose of the Report

The purpose of this report is for the Minister to consider an appeal against the registration of the Norman’s properties at Commercial Buildings, St Helier as proposed Sites of Special Interest, having regard to the States strategic objective ‘to protect the best of the Island’s architectural heritage’ and a key objective of the Island Plan 2002 to protect and promote Jersey’s built, cultural and archaeological heritage.

Background

This report has been prepared by the Jersey Heritage Trust as part of its responsibility under a Service Level Agreement to make assessments and to provide reports and recommendations to the Minister for Planning and Environment on the registration of buildings and sites. It incorporates the views of the Jersey Heritage Advisory Panel (JHAP) - a group established to provide independent, expert advice on matters relating to the protection of buildings and sites of cultural interest.

Nos.10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 and 27 Commercial Buildings were included as Grade 1 in the first Historic Buildings Register published in 1992.

The Jersey Building Heritage Sub-Committee confirmed all of the properties as proposed Sites of Special Interest on 4 November 2002 (although a full internal inspection was not carried out at that time), and added the granite warehouses / offices at the rear of 29-31 as pSSIs.

An appeal by Norman (Holdings) Limited against the registration of these buildings as proposed Sites of Special Interest was received by the Planning and Environment Department on 26 April 2005.

Norman (Holdings) Limited subsequently commissioned the Museum of London Archaeology Service (MoLAS) to carry out a standing building assessment of Commercial Buildings. The resulting report was completed in December 2005 and submitted to the Planning and Environment Department in February 2006.

As a result of this, the Planning and Environment Department requested that the Jersey Heritage Trust undertake an assessment of the buildings ahead of discussions by the Jersey Heritage Advisory Panel.

An inspection of the properties was carried out by the Curator of Historic Buildings on 28 April, and by the Panel on 15 May 2006.

It was evident from these inspections that two historic warehouses to the rear of No.21 had not been adequately addressed in the MoLAS report. Norman (Holdings) Limited consequently commissioned MoLAS to undertake an additional standing building assessment of the two warehouses. This report was completed in August 2006.

Discussion

Commercial Buildings (Le Quai des Marchands) is a row of merchant’s buildings erected between 1818 and 1831 as part of the development of St Helier harbour. The buildings are constructed in granite and each property originally comprised a building on the road frontage with offices and shops on the ground floor and residences on the upper floors, with a through passage leading to warehouses and yards behind.

The surviving 19th century buildings form a group of exceptional architectural and historic significance in St Helier, although many have been altered on the interior.

See attached a report on each of the buildings under consideration prepared by the Curator of Historic Buildings (incorporating the advice of the Jersey Heritage Advisory Panel), and the two reports prepared by the Museum of London Archaeology Service.

Recommendations

10 Commercial Buildings

merchant’s office and combined warehouse downgraded to a BLI

20th century warehouse to rear removed from the registration

11 Commercial Buildings

merchant’s residence / office retained as pSSI

warehouse to rear removed from registration

12 Commercial Buildings

merchant’s residence / office retained as pSSI

warehouse to rear removed from registration

13 Commercial Buildings

merchant’s residence / office downgraded to BLI

warehouse to rear removed from registration

19 Commercial Buildings

merchant’s residence / office downgraded to a BLI

warehouse to rear removed from registration

21 Commercial Buildings

merchant’s residence / office downgraded to a BLI

two granite warehouses retained as pSSIs (this is the main area of disagreement with the MoLAS reports)

22 Commercial Buildings

merchant’s residence / office downgraded to BLI

warehouse to rear removed from registration

23 Commercial Buildings

merchant’s residence / office downgraded to BLI

warehouse to rear removed from registration

24 Commercial Buildings

merchant’s residence / office downgraded to BLI

rear warehouse structures removed from registration

26 Commercial Buildings

merchant’s office / residence downgraded to a BLI

rear warehouse structures removed from registration

27 Commercial Buildings

merchant’s office / residence downgraded to a BLI

rear warehouse structures removed from registration

29-31 Commercial Buildings

granite warehouse / offices at rear of No.30-31 downgraded to a BLI

No.29 removed from the register

Reason(s) for Decision

The merchant’s buildings at 10, 13, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 and the warehouse / offices at the rear of 30-31 satisfy the published criteria for registration as BLIs.

The registration of these buildings is in accordance with Interim Policy HB1 which states ‘Historic buildings which contribute positively to the distinctive character or appearance of Jersey’s built-up areas or countryside, particularly where they are of ‘group value’, will be identified and included in the Register of Buildings and Sites of Architectural, Archaeological and Historical Importance in Jersey.’

The merchant’s residence / office buildings at 11 and 12 and the two granite warehouses at 21 satisfy the published criteria for registration as pSSIs.

The grade of pSSI for these buildings is in accordance with Interim Policy HB2 which states ‘Designation of buildings of architectural or historical importance as Sites of Special Interest will normally be limited to those whose authentic fabric, plan form, interior features or historical associations of the interior contribute to their special archaeological, architectural, artistic, cultural, historical, or traditional interest.’

Action Required

  Notify the appellant of the decision

  Amend the Historic Buildings Register accordingly

  Notify Development Control - Urban Section of the decision

  Prepare relevant papers associated with the proposed designation of nos. 11 and 12, and the two warehouses to the rear of 21 Commercial Buildings as Sites of Special Interest, to be the subject of a further report to the Minister.

Written by:

Roger Hills

Curator of Historic Buildings - Jersey Heritage Trust

 

 

Approved by:

Fiona Smith

Historic Buildings Officer

 

 

Endorsed by:

Kevin Pilley

Assistant Director: Policy and Projects

Attachments:

Exempt. 3.2.1(b) Appeal letter from Norman (Holdings) Limited

Standing Building Assessment of 10-31 Commercial Buildings, prepared by the Museum of London Archaeology Service, December 2005 (please note that some of the properties included in the MoLAS report - namely Nos. 14-18, 20, 25 & 28 - are not subject to the current appeal and therefore will not be considered at this time.)

Assessment of the Norman (Holdings) Limited properties at Commercial Buildings, prepared by the Curator of Historic Buildings and incorporating the advice of the Jersey Heritage Advisory Panel, May 2006. Photographs of building interiors exempt under 3.2.1(b).

Standing Building Assessment of two warehouses, 21 Commercial Buildings, prepared by the Museum of London Archaeology Service, August 2006

15 September 2006

 

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