The Three Cups Broad Street, Lyme Regis
Design and Access Statement
in support of the Listed Building Consent & Planning Application Date: November 2014
Contents 1.0
Introduction
8.42
2.0
Nature of the Applications and Design & Access Statement
3.0
Pre-application Consultation
4.0
Design Framework Matrix
5.0
10.0
Proposed
8.5 Layout 8.51 8.52 8.53 8.54
Site Location
8.6 Scale—Design Development Envelope
6.0
Site Composition
8.7 Landscaping
7.0
Existing Buildings
8.0
Design Proposal
8.8 Appearance 8.81 Front Buildings 8.82 Rear Land
8.1 Background
8.2 CABE Guidance
8.3 Use 8.21 8.22
8.9 Access 8.91 8.92 8.93 8.94
Existing Proposed
9.0
8.4 Amount 8.41 Existing
Interrelationship between front and rear parts of the site Arrangement of proposed uses Existing Building & Proposed Demolition Defined Development Boundary
Landscape Visual Impact Assessment
11.0 Environmental Health 11.1 Control of kitchen extract odours 11.2 Control of noise from air conditioning condensers 11.3 Control of noise from guests and diners & restaurant opening hours 11.4 Pest control—seagulls & rodents 11.5 Refuse storage and collection 11.6 Hours of access to Langmoor Gardens 12.0 Ecology 13.0 Sustainability
Front Buildings Rear Land Buildings Langmoor Gardens Footpath Emergency Services
Car & Bicycle Parking and Shared Access 9.1 Car & Bicycle Parking 9.2 Shared Access
14.0
Commercial Viability
15.0
Construction Environmental Management Plan
16.0 Conclusion Appendix I: Design Framework Matrix (submitted as separate document) Appendix II: 3D Perspectives (submitted as separate document)
Three Cups Hotel
Rear Land
View from north harbour to Lyme Regis
10112: The Three Cups, Lyme Regis: Design and Access Statement
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1.0
Introduction
This document has been prepared to support a dual Planning and Listed Building Consent Application submitted to West Dorset District Council for the mixed-use residential, holiday accommodation and commercial redevelopment of the buildings and site known as The Three Cups, Broad Street, Lyme Regis.
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BrightSpace
the existing and proposals drawings and all of the supporting documentation refer to both the Planning and Listed Building Consent applications. This approach was agreed by West Dorset District Council Planning Authority as a practicable method of dealing with these two mutually dependant applications.
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Pre-application Consultation This Planning and Listed Building Consent application and their supporting documents are the result of extensive pre-application consultation with West Dorset District Council, English Heritage, the residents of Lyme Regis and the surrounding immediate neighbours. During this pre-application period two key documents emerged as the result of this collaborative process, the contents of which have shaped the proposals being submitted for approval and would normally comprise a significant part of this Design & Access Statement; those documents are: • •
Contextual Analysis, and Design Framework
Both of the above key documents have been broadly accepted by West Dorset District Council and English Heritage respectively as providing: 1. A comprehensive and robust understanding of the building, its site and wider context and, 2. an appropriate framework to assist the design development of proposals and a yard-stick against which the proposals being submitted for approval can be assessed as to whether they have met the ‘design objectives’ set out in Design Framework. The Contextual Analysis noted above, should also be read together with the Heritage Statement (May 2011 with addendum September 2014) prepared by James Webb of architectural heritage consultants, Forum Heritage Services Ltd. Fig. 05: Contextual Analysis and Design Framework Documents
10112: The Three Cups, Lyme Regis: Design and Access Statement
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4.0
Design Frameword Matrix
The Design Framework document noted above, which followed the Contextual Analysis and which was also the result of extensive consultation with WDDC and English Heritage, sets out a series of distinct and well-defined design parameters or ‘design objectives’ that have emanated directly from the findings of the Contextual Analysis. Those ‘design objectives’ within the Design Framework document were gathered together to create a schedule intended to provide both a guide for the emerging design and a tool with which the applicant and the Planning Authority can measure the ‘success’ of any proposals – that schedule was titled the Design Framework Matrix. This Design & Access Statement includes a ‘completed’ version of that matrix, with a description of how the proposals have responded to each of the design objectives in that schedule. Each design response has been given a red, amber or green ‘traffic light’ status, showing the extent to which the proposals have met that particular objective. Where an element of the proposals has not wholly met the requirements of a particular design objective, and therefore deemed to be ‘amber’ or ‘red’ in status, the schedule includes a brief statement explaining the reasons for its red or amber status and a description of the measures taken, or the existing circumstances, that mitigate its partial compliance.
‘Traffic Light’ status
Mitigation or explanatory notes
Fig. 06: Extracts from the Design Framework Document and Design Framework Matrix
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5.0
Site Location The site is located on the south side of Broad Street in Lyme Regis, Dorset, as identified in Fig 7 to the left. The address is: The Three Cups Hotel Broad Street Lyme Regis Dorset DT7 3QE Easting: 334114 Northing: 92092
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Fig. 07: Site Block Plan
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Fig. 08: Site Location—aerial photograph
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6.0
Site Composition
The site comprises two distinct parts or areas. The first part, Area 1, at the northern end of the wider site, is broadly rectangular in shape with its narrow north-eastern end fronting Broad Street, its two longer sides flanked by the adjoining neighbouring plots and its rear end, which comprises the rear faรงade of the existing Three Cups building, facing the more open south-western half of the site. The second part of the site, Area 2, comprises a steeply-sloped, irregular plot of land to the rear of the existing Three Cups building and is bounded by the rear facades of buildings along Broad Street, a residential plot to its north-west, Langmoor Gardens to the south-west and the rear facades and gardens of the houses along Marine Parade fronting the beach. Area 2 also includes the former hotel car park and service yard and an existing garage sitting in the approximate location of previously demolished hotel stables and outbuildings. This rear part of the site has historically been subservient to the hotel, providing the ancillary buildings and service areas that would appear (from the historical plans) to have all been bounded along their north-western flank by the retaining wall and earth bank. The site and the existing building are currently accessed from Broad Street via the main entrance and via the historic side alley route that runs alongside the existing building. Accessibility, and the line of the historic route through the front part of the site, are explored in more detail later in this document.
Fig. 09: Extract from page 4 of Design Framework Document
10112: The Three Cups, Lyme Regis: Design and Access Statement
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7.0
Existing Buildings The existing property is the Grade II Listed former Three Cups Hotel, in Area 1, which dates back to the 1800’s. The building was closed since 1990 and has remained vacant since its closure primarily due to the need to await the now-completed land stabilisation works that extended into the site from the larger stabilisation scheme across Langmoor Gardens. The building is of traditional masonry construction finished externally in a mix of the Blue Lias stone used to construct the building, slate tile hanging and stucco/render, painted brick and localised patches of facing brickwork for flue stacks and patch repairs. As is typical for buildings of this age and type, during its lifetime it has been subject to many alterations, part-rebuilding, extensions and refurbishment to meet the changing demands of its guests and of its owners.
Fig. 10: Three Cups front facade as seen from Broad Street
Fig. 11: Access alley from Broad Street to the rear of the property
The most striking features of the former hotel are its doubleheight, bow-fronted, sash window bay sitting on stone columns over the main front entrance facing Broad Street, and the other impressive sash windows in that street façade. Area 2 accommodates an existing industrial style shed, with a lowpitched asbestos sheet roof and walls, sitting atop a stonewall plinth; this building served as garage to the former hotel. This shed sits against the existing stone retaining wall that supports the earth bank on its north-western side.
Fig. 12: Rearmost facade of Three Cups buildings as seen from the rear service yard.
Fig. 13: Existing garage/shed as seen from terrace of Powis Cottage
Fig. 14: Survey drawings from Historic and Architectural Appraisal by Forum Heritage, May 2011
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For an in-depth description of the existing building, its site and the wider context, please refer to the Contextual Analysis, prepared by Brightspace Ltd, and to the Heritage Statement (May 2011 with addendum September 2014) prepared by architectural heritage consultants, Forum Heritage Services Ltd, both of which accompany the applications.
8.0
Design Proposal
8.3
8.1 Background
8.2
As noted earlier, the proposals being submitted for approval are the result of many years’ work of in-depth study and analysis of the site, its buildings and environs, consultation with the public, West Dorset District Council Planning Authority, English Heritage and the immediate neighbours. The proposals have been shaped, to greater and lesser degrees and in no order of priority, by the following, which have arisen from this work:
The following description of the proposals has been set out using the format and headings recommended within the CABE publication ‘Design & Access Statements – How to write, read and use them’ published in 2006 and reprinted in 2007; this approach is widely recognised as ‘good practice’ for explaining design proposals in a methodical and legible manner. That guidance recommends describing the proposals and the journey that has led to them, under the following headings:
• •
• • • • • •
The applicant’s aspirations for the building and site The findings of the structural condition surveys of the existing buildings (Aspley Associates reports of October 2005 and April 2011) and subsequent statement from English Heritage Conservation Engineering Branch (Keith Watson letter dated 2.11.11) The previously installed land-stabilisation measures (as part of the Langmoor Gardens stabilisation works) The findings of the Heritage Statement (May 2011 with addendum September 2014) (Forum Heritage Services Ltd) The findings of the Contextual Analysis document (Brightspace Ltd) An understanding of the issues and sensitivities explained within the Heritage Impact Assessment (Sept 2014) (Forum Heritage Services Ltd) The findings of the Commercial Viability report, of returning the existing building to active commercial use as an operating hotel – Jan 2010 (TRL Consulting Ltd) *The guidance and objectives set out in the Design Framework document
• • • • • • •
CABE Guidance
8.31 Existing
Use Amount Layout Scale Landscaping Appearance Access
The Design Framework Matrix picks up on many of the above when describing how the proposals have met the objectives that run through the Design Framework. Therefore, as with the descriptions of the existing site and building in this document, the following sections provide some background information and a summary of the more detailed descriptions of the proposals in the Design Framework Matrix.
The former Three Cups Hotel is the primary building on the site and forms part of the line of commercial retail frontages of the town’s main shopping thoroughfare, Broad Street. The main building traded historically as a boarding house then later as a hotel; that use being temporarily interrupted by the Second World War. The rear land was historically used for stabling guests’ horses and their coaches then later as the hotel’s garage and most recently (before the site’s closure) as a public car park. The existing planted bank was understood to have provided a garden for the hotel, on which it is believed stood a tea house. This rear land also provided hotel guests with a pedestrian route through to Langmoor Gardens. The building was closed in 1990 and has since stood vacant, in large part due to the client having to ‘hold-off’ submitting any plans for its redevelopment until the land-stabilisation works had been completed in Langmoor Gardens since a significant part of those slope-stabilisation measures extended into the rear land of the Three Cups site.
8.32 Proposed The proposed uses, and their respective Town and Country Planning Act ‘Use Classes’, which comprise this Planning and Listed Building Consent application, are:
*Of the documents noted above, the proposals being submitted for approval could be seen as being most visibly shaped by the last of these, the Design Framework; that Design Framework however has itself been shaped by all of the studies and influences noted above. It is therefore the Design Framework that is most heavily referred to here, by way of a single point of reference that draws upon all of the other documents above. As noted earlier, the completed version of the Design Framework Matrix is included later in this document and the full Design Framework document accompanies the applications.
10112: The Three Cups, Lyme Regis: Design and Access Statement
Use
The Design Framework Matrix picks up on many of the above when describing how the proposals have met the objectives that run through the Design Framework. Therefore, as with the descriptions of the existing site and building in this document, the following sections provide some background information and a summary of the more detailed descriptions of the proposals in the Design Framework Matrix.
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The total gross internal floor area of the refurbished, converted and extended former hotel building measures approximately 1341sqm and accommodates the following:
Third Floor: 2 x En-suite guest rooms (no.s 9+10) with private external balconies
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10112 Three Cups, Lyme Regis The proposed rear Theextension to the retained front building Planning & Car 097 LB measures approximately 1902sqm and accommodates the Listed Building Consent A following: Park Dwg No:
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GR 22.08.14 Ground Floor: DE 22.08.14 Refuse/ancillary stores Staff Welfare facilities h car barn c4-bay a e Covered service area leading to open air storage area te B Kitchen goods a and waste transfer room G b Cob ingle 11-bay semi-basement car park HWservices intake room Sh Mand Plant t ectsto Restaurant and Entrance lobby, stairs, lift andarchi reception Shingle 15 Glasshouse Studios, Fryern Court Road, Fordingbridge Guest Rooms Hampshire, SP6 1QX T: (01425) 655806/653639
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The total combined footprint of the proposals for both the front and rear parts of the site, measures approximately 1,057sqm, resulting in an approximate proposed footprint-to-plot ratio of 39%.
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First Floor: Duty Manager’s apartment Kitchen & Kitchen Office/Stores/Servery Stair lobby and lift (from ground floor) Stair lobby to upper level guest rooms Restaurant dining room Bar Unisex Accessible WC Female WCs Dining Terrace 4 x En-suite guest rooms (no.s 1-4) and private external terraces
8.32 Proposed
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The Three Cups, Lyme Regis Planning & Listed Building Consent
Project No:
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In respect of the historic footprint of the Three Cups Hotel, which measures approximately 355sqm, the proposed conversion and refurbishment retains the front section of the existing building and effectively replaces the rear parts with a similar built form, generating a new total footprint of the front part of the site of 338sqm.
8.4
Layout 8.41 Interrelationship between front and rear parts of the site
Retail + Residential
The existing ‘master and servant’ relationship, between the front and rear parts of the site respectively, are explored in detail in both the Contextual Analysis (CA Pages 7-8) and in Design Framework (Clause 6.1). The dividing line between these front and rear parts is very clearly along the face of the rearmost façade of the existing former hotel building, everything to the rear of which being much lower in height and retaining clear views both to and from that rear façade. Whilst the proposals for the rear part of the site significantly increase the amount of accommodation in this location, the proposed building heights, roof profiles, roof finishes and the retention of a separating courtyard, all ensure that the rear land buildings do not alter the current ‘served and servant’ relationship between the front and rear of the site. The front buildings will remain taller and more dominant in both close up and distant views than the proposed buildings in the rear land. Longer distance views from the rear façade of the ‘rebuilt’ former hotel building and from the gable and bay window to Sea Tree House are preserved—both having been identified as a key feature in these longer distance views of the town.
8.42 Arrangement of proposed uses
Restaurant, Bar & Guest Rooms
The proposals position the various uses in the most appropriate locations; i.e with: • • • • • • • • •
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Extract from page 16 of Design Framework Document Proposed Roof (rear building) and Second Floor Plan (front building)
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Retail use fronting Broad Street, supporting and maintaining an ‘active’ public/commercial frontage Residential apartments above the Broad Street retail unit, reinstating the former grandeur of those principal rooms Townhouses fronting the alleyway, providing activity with residents entering and leaving their front doors Service areas around and accessed from the rear service courtyard Restaurant/Hotel Duty Manager’s apartment providing natural/passive surveillance of the central courtyard and of the footpath to Langmoor Gardens Restaurant, dining terrace and guest rooms in the rear land with coastal views and private terraces and balconies Accessible rooms with private terraces with lift access from the main entrance Car parking, kitchen storage and staff facilities within semi-basement accommodation A new footpath link to Langmoor Gardens providing a new pedestrian route between the high street and the seafront, and the opportunity for more elevated coastal views open to the public
8.4
Layout
8.43 Existing Building and Proposed Demolition The existing former hotel is a Grade II Listed Building and a widely recognised ‘landmark’ that provides a significant contribution to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area in which it sits. The ‘front piece’, sitting as it does on Broad Street, with its grand two-storey bow fronted and sashed bay windows, provides the streetscape with an element of grandeur and, like many of the buildings on this street, a highly visible connection to the town’s past. Of all the buildings on the site this front piece is clearly the most visually impressive and ‘coherent’ in terms of a complete architectural piece. The central section, whilst less obviously ‘attractive’ and more adhoc in appearance than the front piece, does reflect the building’s changing use over time in its clearly visible extensions and alterations. The rearmost portion is a more coherent architectural ‘piece’ than the central section and typifies the character, in materials and form, of the rear elevations of the surrounding Broad Street buildings. The rearmost portion also includes three elements that have been identified in the Heritage Statement and Heritage Impact Assessment as being of important historic, architectural or cultural interest and therefore worthy of closer attention in respect of any proposals; those elements being the upper-storey staircase, the former stone-wall-lined carriageway at lower ground floor level and (though unconfirmed) the upper floor room from which the author, JRR Tolkien may have drawn his pencil sketch of the Cobb and harbour. A fuller account of the building and site’s history can be read in the Heritage Statement (May 2011 with addendum September 2014) by Forum Heritage Services Ltd, which accompanies these applications. The applicant understands that the historical and cultural assets within the existing building and across the site would be most fully preserved by the re-establishment of the existing building as an operating hotel. The potential for reinstating the existing building as an operating hotel was explored in detail at the outset of the design work which has led to these applications but was rejected due to the poor physical condition of the central and rear parts of the building and on the grounds of commercial viability.
The commercial viability of returning the existing buildings to use as an operating hotel were exhaustively investigated within the Viability Report prepared by specialist hotel and leisure consultants, TRL Hospitality Consulting Ltd (dated 22nd January 2010). The findings of that viability report were then broadly validated by WDDC’s subsequent independent review by the Chartered Surveyors, Goadsby. The central tenant of the viability report is that the cost of returning the existing buildings to use as an operating hotel, could not be commercially justified given the number of rooms, the guest facilities and the quality of accommodation that would be achievable.
Front piece reatained
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Illustration of front, central amd rear parts referred to in the Aspley report Existing Building and Proposed Demolition Drawing—1st & 2nd Floor 002
scale - 1:100
The physical condition and the works likely to be required to retain the existing central and rear parts are explained in detail in the Aspley Associates reports of October 2005 and April 2011. A subsequent statement from Keith Watson of English Heritage Conservation Engineering Branch (letter dated 2.11.11) validates much of the Aspley Report, but argues that the central section might be more easily stabilised and made ready for re-use than stated in the Aspley report. The front, central and rear parts referred to above are illustrated in Fig 19 opposite. Whilst there is a slight difference of opinion between these two structural engineers over the physical condition and therefore practicability of retaining and reusing the central section, both agree that it is in a poor structural/physical state. The commercial viability of the wider scheme relies upon generating a level of residential accommodation in the front part of the site that cannot be achieved within the existing envelope of this central part. The proposals do however reflect the existing composition of the primary frontage block, a narrower central linking section and the full width rear section. The proposals also open up much of the former courtyard that was in-filled by the later C20 hotel kitchen.
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2
1.2
Fig. 21 From left to right: Aspley structural report, Heritage Architectural Appraisal and Assessment of Significance, and Heritage Impact Assessment
10112: The Three Cups, Lyme Regis: Design and Access Statement
1
3
If the existing building cannot realistically be returned to use as an operating hotel, the next level of consideration would be to retain and convert the whole of the existing building to a use that would be practicable and financially supportable. However, the combination of a number of significant factors have unfortunately rendered the retention and refurbishment of the central and rear parts of the existing building impracticable and commercially unviable. Those factors include: The poor structural and physical condition of the central and rear parts The cost and practicality (i.e. level of intervention) of stabilising these parts The commercial non-viability of the residential accommodation achievable within the retained central and rear parts
1.4
1.3
17.2
•
1.5
02
002
Second scale - 1:1
8.4
Layout 8.44 Defined Development Boundary The proposals in the rear part of the site extend beyond the ‘Defined Development Boundary’ as set out in the Local Plan Proposals Map currently in force. It was established very early on in the design process that the commercial viability of the proposals relied upon creating a level of guest room and restaurant accommodation in the rear land that cannot be accommodated solely within the Defined Development Boundary, at least not without significantly exceeding ‘acceptable’ building heights. The applicant fully recognises that West Dorset District Council Planning Authority would not wish any approval of these applications to be seen as setting a precedent for similar excursions beyond the DDB. However, the nature of this site and of its buildings, and of these particular applications are, the applicant believes, sufficiently unique to avoid them being seen as setting a precedent.
Fig. 22 Fig. 23
Extract from page 26 of Design Framework Document Proposed Roof and Second Floor Plan showing Defined Development Boundary
Defined Development Boundary
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8.5
Scale—Design Development Envelope
The scale of the proposals has been shaped by three factors: • •
•
The need to respect and replicate the size, form and character of the rear parts of the existing Listed building that are proposed to be taken down The level of accommodation required to create a commercially sustainable restaurant and guest room operation in locations that would ensure their commercial success The proposed ‘Development Envelope’, as set out in the Design Framework document which precedes the design of the proposals and which poses a theoretical 3-dimensional ‘constraint’, within which development could be argued as being acceptable (see Fig 24)
The retained part of the front building will remain in its current state, with no change to its size or scale. The central or link section has its front facade aligned with the existing frontage to the alleyway; its overall width is greater than that of the existing building but the ridge and eaves heights largely match those of the existing building. The visual impact of the increased width of the central ‘link’ section is largely mitigated by the removal of the existing late C20 hotel kitchen, whose unsightly visual presence, facing the neighbouring properties to the south, will be removed along with its ungainly and obstructive fire escape stairs.
in the ‘hump’ to the south of the ‘dip’ which has been defined to preserve the views of Sea Tree House from the Cobb and harbour walls. A more detailed ‘location-by-location’ analysis of how the scale of the proposals meet the objectives of the Design Framework are set out in the Design Framework Matrix appended to this statement. A full set of visual impact images can be found in section 10.0— Landscape Visual Impact Assessment of this document.
> Fig. 24 Model shot showing site as existing with Development Envelope—aerial of courtyard v Fig. 25 Model shot showing site as existing with Development Envelope—aerial looking northeast (existing shed in (foreground)
The rear section of the front area buildings largely replicates the plan, form, height and appearance of the existing building it is proposed to replace; the exception being limited to the inclusion of a low-pitched gable at its southern most corner, however this ‘new’ gable would sit much lower and therefore remain visually subservient to the taller and more dominant gable of the adjoining Sea Tree House. The proposals for the rear land remain largely within the agreed ‘development envelope’, thereby respecting the immediate neighbours in terms of visual impact, daylight and amenity. The proposals generally step away from the southern boundaries as they increase in height to avoid being an overbearing presence on those neighbours. Where the proposals step outside of the Development Envelope they do so only in locations that will not harm the characteristics identified in the Design Framework as requiring protection or enhancement, those areas being at the far south-western end and
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8.6
Landscaping The proposals recognise the existing ‘green’ character of the existing earth bank and therefore use buffer and screen planting to significantly soften the visual impact of the proposals in the mid-distance and long-distance views from the west and southwest.
< Fig. 26 Example of built sedum roof v Fig. 27 Rear Building Roof Plan
Privacy of the adjoining neighbouring gardens from diners using the main restaurant terrace will also be protected by the inclusion of deep planting belts around and on top of the proposed dining terrace; the combination of its elevation and the set-back distance of the dining area from its front edge limiting downward views from this terrace to those adjoining gardens. A significant belt of hedge planting is proposed along the rear north-western boundary; the combination of that hedge’s height and the lower level of the proposed footpath that runs alongside it, will prevent any overlooking from that footpath to the gardens of no.19a and of Sea Tree House. This belt of planting also further softens the visual impact of the scheme from the distant westerly south-westerly views. The immediate neighbours to the north-east and north-west will look down upon large areas of flat and near-flat roof. The visual impact of these roofs has been significantly softened by the proposed intensive ‘green roof’ finish to the large majority of these surfaces. In addition to presenting an attractive roofscape to the surrounding higher-level properties, these roofs are also intended to provide a substantial amount natural attenuation of rainwater directed to the town’s storm water drains. It is intended that through the careful specification of green roof plant species, prepared with the input of the Local Authority Biodiversity Officer and the appointed ecological consultant, the proposed green roofs will also create enhanced habitats for appropriate species of wildlife. The line of existing trees at the far south-western end of the site will need to be removed in order to facilitate construction. A full Arboricultural Survey, Report and Method Statement prepared by Hellis Tree Consultants accompanies the applications. The proposals include the planting of a belt of replacement trees, of appropriate indigenous species, that will be planted and maintained as necessary in order maximise their potential for growth to full maturity and continued longevity. The intention for these replacement trees is that they would replicate and, over time, improve upon the screening currently provided by the existing trees.
N
^ Fig. 28 Cobble ^ Fig. 29 Resin-bound gravel > Fig. 30 Tree Report by Hellis
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8.7
Appearance
8.71 Front Buildings The external walls, roofs, doors and windows of the retained portion of the front building will be refurbished to their original condition. There are a number of minor interventions proposed on the existing ground floor doors and windows that face the side-access alleyway, in order to create the necessary access to the proposed retail and residential spaces; these changes retain the existing door and window heads and will replicate and/or continue the existing jamb conditions where necessary. The elevations and detailed drawings submitted clearly identify the changes proposed to the affected openings. The central part of the proposed rear extension, which comprises the three proposed town houses, re-uses the two arched windows in the existing hotel façade; those windows will be carefully removed from the existing building during demolition and refurbished before being built into the new extension. The remainder of this central section, and the town houses that it creates, are finished in a palette of materials that is drawn from the surrounding context, i.e lime render, hung slate, slate roofs and facing brickwork and stone. The third town house, furthest from the retained front building, steps down in level from the preceding town houses in order to follow the fall in ground level and to make this house visually subservient to the two other houses. Where the proposed town houses adjoin the rear of the retained building on its ‘rear’ façade, that interface is made with the insertion of a tall, fully glazed, corner bay, which separates the stone façade of the retained building from the rendered façade of the new town houses; the intention being to clearly demarcate the ‘old’ from the ‘new’. As described earlier in this statement, the rearmost parts of the proposed extension largely replicate the character of the existing building it replaces. The hung slate tiling, pitched slate roofs, chimneys and the tall canted bay window all preserve the visual contribution which the existing building lends to the character to this part of the town scape as viewed from the south and south-west.
Fig. 31
Rear land development—restaurant and bar
Sea Tree House
Three Cups building
Powis Cottage & Driveway - Fossil Shop
Apartments over Community Use on ground floor - Units 7, 8 & 9 Slate hung tiles
Dormer in zinc with standing seams
Powder coated cast aluminium or steel rainwater goods
New brick chimney stacks and clay pots serving as flues to apartment fire places
Balustrade in frameless glass with powder coated top rail to match finish of window frames
Existing garage to be re-built Subject to separate planning application
Alley Way
Sedum/ planted roof
Access to void under apartments Bay window on similar profile to existing
Parking Barn
Existing lean-to shed removed
Display and entrance to community use/ retail unit
Fig. 32
Existing rear facade
oProposed u t h W erear st E levation 01 Fig.201 33 S facade scale - 1:100
Three Cups building - new build
Three Cups building - retained
Apartments over Community Use on ground floor - Units 7, 8 & 9
Townhouses - Units 3, 4 & 5
Apartments over commercial on ground floor - Units 1 & 2
Existing facade to be stabilised & roof on alleyway side retained
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Slate roof with red clay ridge tiles
New brick chimney stacks and clay pots serving as flues to apartment fire places Flush conservation style roof lights
Slate hung tiles
Dormer in zinc with standing seams
Powder coated cast aluminium or steel rainwater goods New roof
Glazed breakfast rooms with flat lead roof Flush conservation style roof lights Existing roof beyond
Existing brick chimney stacks and clay pots to be cleaned, repointed or repaired as necessary to serve reinstated fireplaces
Lime render
Existing rainwater goods taken down, refurbished as noted below
Existing artificial slate removed and replaced with new natural slate hung tiles.
8.7
Appearance
8.72 Rear land proposals In contrast to the front part of the site, the proposed buildings in the rear land are intentionally more contemporary in their form and appearance. The visual impact of these contemporary forms are however moderated by the use of substantial areas of green roofing and by the use of the locally inspired palette of façade materials, including stone walls, hung slate, naturally finished timber and pre-patinated zinc or a similar mattfinished grey metal sheeting. The extent of glazing proposed on the south-western facades of the restaurant, bar and guest rooms will be significantly mitigated by the proposed timber shading-louvres in front of the upper portions of the restaurant and bar windows, and by the timber privacy screens between the guest room terraces and balconies. The lower portions of the restaurant and bar windows will be largely obscured from the available views by the proposed soft landscaping belts on and around the dining terrace. The screening effect of the guest room privacy screens will be further enhanced by the angle at which they face the available views from the south and south-west.
A number of those garage door panels will comprise powder coated ventilation grilles, in order to meet the natural ventilation requirements of car parks as set out in the current Building Regulations. To avoid this garage door leaving a ‘black hole’ in this courtyard elevation, the default position of this door will be ‘closed’. This garage door would only be opened intermittently via key-fob control by residents or key pad or room-card-key by guests who have been allocated the disabled parking space.
While the interior design is perhaps of less concern than the exterior, in respect of this planning application, the interior of the restaurant and bar, and in particular their ceilings, will contribute to the appearance of the buildings in the middle and long distance views. The bar and restaurant roof construction will therefore be exposed and will comprise naturally-finished timber joists, with exposed steel primary beams and exposed services; this mostly timber roof structure will sit atop circular, polished concrete columns. This exposed roof construction will continue out beyond the external façade and will form the finish to the deep soffits. The intention is that the exposed grid structure of timber and steel and concrete columns will lend the finished building a robust ‘boat-shed’ aesthetic. The visual effect of the internally exposed structure is enhanced by its continuation down the rear wall behind the bar. The ground surface finishes of the service courtyard and of the proposed pedestrian footpath and steps to Langmoor Gardens will also be finished in a mix of high quality stone, concrete and resin bound gravel finishes. The detailed layout of these ground surface materials (subject to later detailed design and an appropriate planning condition) will subtly direct visitors to the restaurant entrance, the community space entrance or to the steps and foot path to Langmoor Gardens. The garage door to the proposed semi-basement car park will form a significant portion of this courtyard façade at ground floor level; this door is therefore finished in timber and is arranged in a series of vertical panels that would slide sideways to open on tracks top and bottom. Fig. 34
10112: The Three Cups, Lyme Regis: Design and Access Statement
Courtyard perspective sketch
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8.8
Access Broad Street Access
Main front entrance to retail unit
Level threshold access to retail unit
8.81 Front Buildings The existing front door entrance steps, below the bow fronted bay window facing Broad Street, will remain unaltered preserving their historical architectural fabric. The proposed retail unit on the ground floor of the retained front building will be provided with a new accessible entrance, with a level-threshold, formed by extending the existing arch-topped window downward to ground level. This retail unit will also be provided with a fully accessible WC for use by the unit’s staff and possibly by its customers, depending on the type of retail tenant and commercial operation in this unit. The terraced houses will all have level-access thresholds and WC’s at their entrance levels which comply with current Building Regulations. The proposed apartments in the rearmost section will also have Building Regulation compliant WC’s at their respective entrance levels.
Proposed pedestrian route through to Langmoor Gardens
Courtyard
The side alley, which provides access to the rear land, restaurant and parking, will remain at its existing gradient, which is relaxed enough to enable wheelchair users to move easily between the restaurant entrance, central courtyard and Broad Street.
8.82 Rear Land Buildings The restaurant, bar and accessible guest room accommodation will be accessed via the main restaurant entrance and reception lobby fronting the courtyard with a level threshold. The ‘family’ and ‘accessible’ guest rooms on the ground floor level, will be accessed via Part M-compliant steps and a passenger lift that drops the half storey to that floor level and exits from the rear of the lift car. Access to the restaurant and bar on the first floor level will be via similar Part M compliant steps and the same passenger lift. A fully accessible, Part M compliant unisex WC, with baby-changing facilities, is provided at the restaurant and bar level. The sliding glazed façade of the restaurant and bar will have a level threshold to the external dining terrace.
Langmoor Gardens Access Fig. 35
Access through site
10112: The Three Cups, Lyme Regis: Design and Access Statement
The ‘family’ and ‘accessible’ guest rooms can also be ‘suited’ together, by the use of the lobby door in the corridor, such that a guest who is caring for a dependent family member, or friend, can occupy the adjoining family room and be close by to assist
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if necessary. Equally, if a wheelchair bound parent or guardian is staying with their children, those parents or guardians can occupy the fully complaint guest room and have their children or dependants in the adjoining family room. The family room also provides separate sleeping quarters for children, in the ‘family annex’, this separate room will allow parents to put their children to bed without affecting their use of their own bedroom or their external terrace. The large external terrace to the family room also provides a generously sized and secure outdoor area for children to use while they and their parents are occupying those rooms. A wheelchair-complaint parking space is provided for guests who may require it, immediately adjacent to the dedicated entrance to those rooms off the car park. A dedicated disabled visitor drop-off area is also demarcated in the service courtyard to ensure that this area is kept clear of parked vehicles that might otherwise park ‘casually’ in this area. The Duty Manager’s Apartment is not currently shown as being ‘accessible’. If the operators of the restaurant and guest rooms were to employ a Duty Manager with restricted mobility or who uses a wheelchair, the Duty Manager’s flat could be adapted to be Part M complaint and could be accessed via a platform lift installed within the ancillary space adjacent to the staff welfare facilities. That Duty Manager could move easily between their apartment and the restaurant kitchen, either via the external doors that face each other across the landing to the external stairs, or across the courtyard and the main restaurant entrance lobby and lift. Alternatively, staff rotas may be organised to avoid a Duty Manager with restricted mobility needing to be present on overnight shifts.
8.8
Access
8.83 Langmoor Gardens Footpath The potential to re-establish the historic pedestrian link between the site and Langmoor Gardens was one of the founding concepts of the proposals being submitted for approval. From the outset, the applicant and consultant team recognised the desire and benefits of making any reinstated link ‘accessible’, not only for wheelchair users but also for visitors with restricted mobility, people with wheeled shopping baskets and for parents with pushchairs. The potential for creating a fully-accessible link was explored extensively throughout the design process. However, the significant difference in ground levels between the point at which the site meets Langmoor Gardens and the proposed courtyard (at existing ground level) is such that a compliant ramped footpath would be between 80 and 120m in length, plus the lengths of the required ‘flat’ rest stops. To achieve this length of ramp within the site boundaries the path would need to zig-zag across the site, thereby negating the majority of the proposed rear land development.
alley the maximum allowed distance of 21m from Broad Street, from which fire-fighters would then connect hoses to horizontal dry risers that would run below ground to reach the buildings in the rear land. Life-safety systems across the whole site will be discussed with the Building Control Authority and the Emergency Services at the appropriate time.
> Fig. 36 View of existing access to rear land from Broad Street v Fig. 37 Approximate location of proposed gate to site from Langmoor Gardens
The alternative approach of providing a publically-accessible lift also proved to be unrealistic. To reach an appropriate location near the access to Langmoor Gardens, the lift would need to be located far beyond the end wall of the proposed semi-basement car park, access to which would require a safe pedestrian route that is separate from the car park circulation space and would also require a long ‘tunnel’ to reach it. An external stair-lift(s), mounted on the retaining wall to the proposed footpath and steps, was also considered. However, the exposed costal environment, combined with the significant length of stair-lift track required, would undoubtedly cause significant issues in respect of long-term maintenance, reliability, operating costs and availability to its potential users. A stair-lift that is ‘outof-order’ may ultimately be more frustrating to potential users than one that is not present.
8.84 Emergency Services Ambulance vehicles will be able to access the service courtyard, the main entrance to the restaurant and the ancillary spaces and will be able to turn and leave the site in a forward gear. Fire service vehicles will not be able to access the central courtyard; they would be expected to reverse into the access
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9.0
Car & Bicycle Parking and Shared Access 9.1
Car & Bicycle Parking
The proposals will create a retail unit, a community unit, 9no. residential units, a restaurant and bar, 12no. guest rooms and an apartment for a Duty manager to be on site overnight. The town centre and high street location of the site, and the physical limitations imposed by the existing buildings and topography of the rear land, necessitates a suitable approach to parking that provides an appropriate ‘minimum’. The proposals for car parking and bicycle storage are therefore as follows: * Overnight guests will not generally be provided with on-site car parking. Potential alternative arrangements for guest parking off site are being considered and further investigations will be made before putting submitting detailed proposals to West Dorset District Council for approval. In anticipation of the likely need to provide guests with courtesy shuttle transport to-andfrom remote off-site parking, a dedicated parking space has been shown for that courtesy vehicle and will be provided with an electric recharge point. To avoid obstructing vehicle movements in and around the site, casual parking within the central courtyard will be prohibited. A dedicated visitor drop-off point will be demarcated in the central courtyard surface with a maximum waiting-time-limit notice affixed to the adjacent retaining wall. ** While guests will not be offered ‘dedicated’ bicycle storage facilities, if requested, guest bicycles could be securely stored (by a member of staff) alongside staff bicycles within the covered Service/Refuse Area.
9.2
Shared Access
In pre-application consultation, West Dorset District Council Highways Authority confirmed that the re-use of the existing access alleyway, for vehicles and pedestrians to access the rear parts of the site, would be acceptable. The rear land’s previous use as a ‘public’ car park would have seen a much higher number of daily traffic movements than will be generated by the proposals. The narrow width and pedestrian-priority character of the alleyway will also naturally reduce vehicle speeds.
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10.0 Landscape Visual Impact Assessment The potential for a full Landscape Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) was discussed with West Dorset District Council Planning Authority during the pre-application consultation. It was agreed that the visual studies within the Contextual Analysis, the Design Framework and the images of the ‘Development Envelope’ and proposals in the 3D CAD model, with views taken from the agreed key vantage points, would be more appropriate for assessing this application than would a full LVIA.
10112: The Three Cups, Lyme Regis: Design and Access Statement
Fig. 38
South-Western aerial view of site—Example of 3D model image with “Design Envelope“ shown in pink. See Appendix II: 3D Perspectives
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11.0 Environmental Health 11.1 Control of Kitchen Extract Odours The proposals allow for the inclusion of a high-velocity discharge system that will lift odours up and away to a height where they will dissipate before being able to cause a nuisance to surrounding neighbours. In addition, the proposed building envelope and the route of the kitchen extract duct allow for the retro-fitting of an alternative active carbon filtration system if required; such a ‘fall-back’ position is an approach that has been agreed between WDDC Environmental Health and the applicant on several previous developments with similar kitchen extracts. The applicant has advised that to date they have not needed to replace any of their existing high-velocity discharge systems, operating in other locations, with alternative filtration measures.
11.2 Control of Noise from Air Conditioning Condensers The proposed kitchen cold stores and their condensing units are located in the semi-basement of the ground floor and therefore acoustically screened from all possible complainants by the walls of their enclosure and by the garage door. The proposed air-conditioning condenser units, serving the guest room and restaurant A/C cassettes, are sited in two locations; the first in a single unit at the far western end of the site, adjacent to the footpath to Langmoor Gardens and the second within a solid masonry enclosure adjacent to the proposed cellar. A full Acoustic Report, comprising a survey of the existing background noise and the likely outputs from each of the proposed condenser units and the required acoustic shielding has been prepared by Industrial Noise Reduction Ltd and accompanies these applications.
11.3 Control of Noise from Guests & Restaurant Opening Hours The applicant recognises that the proposals have the potential to create noise-related nuisance to the immediate neighbours. The sources of this potential nuisance-noise will therefore be mitigated through measures such as: • •
Control of restaurant opening hours and of the playing of live or recorded music – most likely through the licence(s) granted to the operator Control of the hours of use of the external dining terrace and
10112: The Three Cups, Lyme Regis: Design and Access Statement
•
possible closure of the restaurant and bar doors at specific times that might be earlier than the closure of the restaurant and/or bar Control of the hours of disposal of refuse from the kitchen to the refuse store, particularly the disposal of glass bottles.
11.4 Pest Control—Seagulls & Rodents Seagulls have been recognised as a potential cause of nuisance to diners using the external restaurant terrace and around the storage of kitchen refuse. The flat roofs of the rear land buildings and the proposed chimneys of the front building extension have been recognised as potentially providing seagull nesting sites. Green roof specialists have advised that the proposed sedum planting will not provide a food source to seagulls and so should be no more attractive to these birds than any other flat roof. Active and passive measures will be investigated further, with the assistance of the Local Authority Environmental Health Officer and specialist bird deterrent suppliers, in order to minimise the nuisance from seagulls and to reduce the likelihood of gulls nesting on the proposed buildings. These measures may include audible (distressed bird calls) and inaudible (ultrasonic) acoustic measures and physical deterrents, such as ledge and ridge wires and spikes. The use of bird netting will be avoided, unless it is very well hidden from sight. Seagulls will not be able to access the refuse paladins, which will be stored under either solid or mesh-grille roofs and behind closed doors with vermin-proof ventilation. The potential for refuse to provide a food source and habitat for vermin is recognised by the applicants. The proposed refuse storage areas will therefore enclose the refuse paladins and bins as noted above. The detailed design of the access doors and ventilation will be undertaken with the benefit of advice from the Local Authority EHO.
11.5 Refuse Storage and Collection The storage of refuse is noted above. Collection of commercial refuse will be dealt with by the commercial operators entering into contracts with the necessary trade waste disposal companies to remove food, glass, cardboard, plastics and non-recyclable waste, as is usual for such town-centre commercial operations.
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Residents will dispose of their waste to the communal storage point at the end of the car barn, within which separate storage bins will be provided for recyclable and non-recyclable waste, as stipulated by the Local Authority and/or waste collection service. The residential waste paladins will be moved to the edge of Broad Street on the appropriate collection day(s).
11.6 Hours of Access to Langmoor Gardens The applicant recognises that the proposed footpath to Langmoor Gardens presents an opportunity for late night, noise-related nuisance to surrounding neighbours, to guests and to the residents within the new town houses and apartments proposed in the development. The applicant has therefore agreed the principle suggested by WDDC of closing the western end of the footpath, where it adjoins Langmoor Gardens, with a lockable gate and boundary fencing of a height and design to discourage climbing-over. The gate would be locked at night and re-opened in the morning at times agreed with the Local Authority EHO. This footpath will remain under the ownership and control of the applicant will not become a public right-of-way. The times of closure and re-opening of the gate to Langmoor Gardens will be clearly displayed at both ends of the footpath. As noted earlier in this document, the location and elevated outlook of the Duty Manager’s flat provides a high degree of passive surveillance of pedestrians entering the central courtyard and therefore of pedestrians moving to and from the footpath to Langmoor Gardens.
12.0 Ecology
13.0 Sustainability
15.0 CEMP
A Protected Species Survey, prepared by Country Contracts dated January 2014, accompanies this application. The findings of that survey can be summarised as follows:
The complex mix of new, existing and adapted buildings, together with the wide range of proposed uses, means that the SAP and SBEM methods of environmental assessment are not easily applied to the proposals and may therefore lead to misleading results. However, the applicant confirms that the new build elements (roofs, walls, windows, floors etc) will each meet or exceed the elemental performance minimums set out in the Building Regulations in force to minimise heat losses.
Construction Environmental Management Plan
• • • •
No bats or indications of bats were found in any of the buildings No nesting birds were found except for feral pigeons The existing trees (proposed to be removed) and the ivy covering the existing shed could provide nesting sites for birds No indication of habitat to support other protected species were found
While no signs of bats or nesting birds were found in the existing building, if required by the District Council’s Biodiversity Officer, bat and/or bird roosting boxes could be accommodated within the proposals. As noted in the ‘Landscape’ section of this document above, the proposed planting belts and green roofs will be designed with the input of the appointed ecologist and the District Council’s Bio-Diversity Officer; this will ensure the planting and green roof specified will thrive and will provide wildlife habitats for species that the local authority wish to see supported. A survey has revealed a small area of Japanese Knotweed and a contract has been placed with a certified specialist for its treatment and monitoring, details of which can be supplied on request.
The use of energy efficient heating, lighting and ventilation systems and controls will be employed to minimise energy consumption. Aerated water fittings would be used and waterless urinal fittings will also be considered to minimise demand for potable water. At the appropriate time renewable energy sources such as ground source and/or air source heat exchange systems will be considered. Photovoltaic cells are not proposed, due to the need to soften the visual impact of the highly visible flat roofs and due to the sensitive nature of the historic roofscape of the buildings on Broad Street. Whilst air-conditioning is being proposed, the need for its use will be minimised by the ability to generate high levels of natural ventilation via openable windows and openable roof lights. Unwanted solar gains would also be controlled by the deep eaves and timber shade louvres proposed and by the use of solar control glazing. Building façade materials have been selected from the ‘local palette’, with good weathering properties, in order to minimise the need for future maintenance or surface treatment. The applicant recognises that further discussion will be necessary to agree with West Dorset District Council Planning and Building Control Authorities a suitable methodology of assessing the proposals’ environmental performance.
14.0 Commercial Viability A Commercial Viability Report, prepared by Chesters Commercial, accompanies these applications. This report highlights the unusually high costs of bringing this site back into active use and of the refurbishment of the retained part of the front building and supports the applicant’s position on financial contributions.
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The applicant recognises the sensitive nature of this town centre site and the potential impacts of the construction works upon the immediate neighbours, the residents of Lyme, on trade in Broad Street and of the adjoining Sea Tree guest house and on the tourism trade generally. The applicant also recognises the potential environmental impacts of the construction works, in particular the effects arising from: • • • • • • • • • •
Excavation works, Removal of excavated earth and demolition materials Piling works, Water run-off, Dust Mud on public footpaths and roads Delivery and storage of construction materials Removal of construction waste Movement of construction traffic and plant Construction noise from plant and operatives
The applicant has therefore committed to ensure that the appointed main contractor will be of sufficient size and experience to prepare a fully detailed Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) that would be submitted to West Dorset District Council for approval prior to commencing on site. The main contractor would also be required to register with, and adhere to the codes of, the ‘Considerate Constructors’ Scheme’, a non-profit making independent organisation dedicated to improving the way in which construction and contractors respect and relate to: • • •
The neighbourhood and general public The workforce The environment
One key aspect of the ‘Considerate Constructors’ Scheme’ is the provision by the main contractor of a Liaison Officer, to whom neighbours, Lyme Regis residents and the Town Council can direct any queries or concerns. The Liaison Officer’s role would include regularly updating the neighbours and Town Council of construction progress and prior warning of any upcoming works that might directly impact upon them.
16.0 Conclusion The proposals being submitted for approval are the result of many years of comprehensive study, exploration of the widest range of possible options, extensive and widely-inclusive consultation with public bodies, residents and neighbours and the exhaustive testing of the visual and physical impacts of the resulting proposals. The quality of development and the proposed mix of uses will: • • • • • •
significantly enhance and increase the guest and tourist accommodation offer in Lyme Regis provide fully ‘accessible’ and family oriented tourist accommodation provide a new destination dining venue with outstanding coastal views reinstate a previously available pedestrian link between Langmoor Gardens and Broad Street restore and protect the grandeur and historic asset of the building that fronts Broad Street secure an active retail use at ground floor level fronting Broad Street
The applicant fully recognises that the benefits described above require the removal of a substantial part of the Grade II Listed Building; however, the poor physical condition of the parts proposed to be removed is such that they would need to be taken down and completely rebuilt anew, or substantially reconstructed in any case. The applicant believes that all due regard has been given to the existing Listed Building and that the proposals will retain and enhance the most historically and architecturally important elements. The proposals fully recognise and preserve the character of the site’s contribution to the high street and to the west-facing slopes and of the available views of the wider townscape. The applicant strongly believes that the proposals present the only practicable and financially viable means of bringing the retained building and site back into active use whilst respecting and enhancing their contribution to the town’s historic character and significantly improving its contribution to the town’s commercial success. The applicant therefore asks that these proposals are approved in order to be able to commence the long-awaited regeneration and to allow the building and site to regain their rightful place in the high street and in the town.
10112: The Three Cups, Lyme Regis: Design and Access Statement
< Fig. 31 Rear land development—restaurant and bar ^ Fig. 34 Courtyard perspective sketch
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