News: Historic England question Guest & Chrimes redevelopment plans
Historic England has raised issues with proposals to redevelop the remains of a former foundry on the edge of Rotherham town centre.
The government's statutory adviser on the historic environment has asked for further information regarding the removal of two of the buildings at the fire-damaged former Guest & Chrimes foundry.
Rothbiz reported in January on a planning application for a new hotel development on the prominent site which is alongside Rotherham United's AESSEAL New York Stadium. Stewart Developments Ltd is seeking permission to convert and partly demolish the dilapidated existing Grade II listed building and link it to a new build property to create a new hotel.
Further documents have now been submitted including a rebuttal to the points made by Historic Enlgand in relation to viability and an expert opinion on the structural report included in the application.
The foundry use of the site ceased in 1990 and the building has been empty since 1999. A severe fire at the former brass and iron foundry in 2018 meant that the front portion was subsequently demolished.
Plans show that the 51,074 sq ft hotel would have 138 bedrooms and include a restaurant and bar. The largest northern range is set to be refurbished so that the hotel main entrance is located directly beneath the water tower. A new L-shaped building is set to replace the other two remaining wings as the retention of fire damaged blocks is seen as unviable.
Applicants say that the proposed hotel development and the demolition of two wings "is considered the only viable opportunity available to deliver beneficial use."
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A report from consultants, White Land Strategies, sets out the options assessed for redevelopment of the site in a bid to find a viable proposal that is deliverable, and where conservation is maximised / balanced. Included options ranged from having all three buildings retained, two buildings retained and one building retained.
It is explained that the site being in flood zone 2 limits potential uses and that residential use was restricted due to the flood risk.
Office / business use was discounted due to relatively slow take up / demand and the only interest coming from businesses looking for smaller offices (under 2,000 sq ft) in the area. In addition, the site does not lend itself to a single occupier with larger footprint buildings which require car parking on site. Options for employment use all resulted in negative land values.
For the hotel use, the report explains that a Premier Inn type operator is envisaged - Premier Inn being a recognised higher quality, more mid range offer. If only a budget Travelodge type operator could be attracted to the site, this would mean that a "likely additional demolition of blocks would be necessary to introduce new build structures that would be cheaper to construct."
Various options around build costs and the use of conservation materials and expenditure dedicated to the Listed Building heritage costs were also carried out. Options which resulted in only 89 rooms were discounted as this would "impact on demand from higher end occupiers" where 130 - 150 room hotels are expected.
A second opinion on the structural report from Capstone Consulting concludes: "[The] report does give a good summary of the current condition of the wings along with sensible recommendations, and it is worth emphasising it is not a report recommending demolition of any of the rear wings on structural grounds. This is consistent with the logic of retaining the north wing in the current application, as all three are of similar construction, and arguably relatively similar condition. These buildings, though weathered and damaged in places, are not beyond repair and could be sensitively restored, should resources allow."
It will be up to Rotherham Council's discretion as to whether the merits of the scheme outweigh the degree of loss of the listed buildings within the site.
Images: Stewart Developments / stephenson hamilton risley STUDIO
The government's statutory adviser on the historic environment has asked for further information regarding the removal of two of the buildings at the fire-damaged former Guest & Chrimes foundry.
Rothbiz reported in January on a planning application for a new hotel development on the prominent site which is alongside Rotherham United's AESSEAL New York Stadium. Stewart Developments Ltd is seeking permission to convert and partly demolish the dilapidated existing Grade II listed building and link it to a new build property to create a new hotel.
Further documents have now been submitted including a rebuttal to the points made by Historic Enlgand in relation to viability and an expert opinion on the structural report included in the application.
The foundry use of the site ceased in 1990 and the building has been empty since 1999. A severe fire at the former brass and iron foundry in 2018 meant that the front portion was subsequently demolished.
Plans show that the 51,074 sq ft hotel would have 138 bedrooms and include a restaurant and bar. The largest northern range is set to be refurbished so that the hotel main entrance is located directly beneath the water tower. A new L-shaped building is set to replace the other two remaining wings as the retention of fire damaged blocks is seen as unviable.
Applicants say that the proposed hotel development and the demolition of two wings "is considered the only viable opportunity available to deliver beneficial use."
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A report from consultants, White Land Strategies, sets out the options assessed for redevelopment of the site in a bid to find a viable proposal that is deliverable, and where conservation is maximised / balanced. Included options ranged from having all three buildings retained, two buildings retained and one building retained.
It is explained that the site being in flood zone 2 limits potential uses and that residential use was restricted due to the flood risk.
Office / business use was discounted due to relatively slow take up / demand and the only interest coming from businesses looking for smaller offices (under 2,000 sq ft) in the area. In addition, the site does not lend itself to a single occupier with larger footprint buildings which require car parking on site. Options for employment use all resulted in negative land values.
For the hotel use, the report explains that a Premier Inn type operator is envisaged - Premier Inn being a recognised higher quality, more mid range offer. If only a budget Travelodge type operator could be attracted to the site, this would mean that a "likely additional demolition of blocks would be necessary to introduce new build structures that would be cheaper to construct."
A second opinion on the structural report from Capstone Consulting concludes: "[The] report does give a good summary of the current condition of the wings along with sensible recommendations, and it is worth emphasising it is not a report recommending demolition of any of the rear wings on structural grounds. This is consistent with the logic of retaining the north wing in the current application, as all three are of similar construction, and arguably relatively similar condition. These buildings, though weathered and damaged in places, are not beyond repair and could be sensitively restored, should resources allow."
It will be up to Rotherham Council's discretion as to whether the merits of the scheme outweigh the degree of loss of the listed buildings within the site.
Images: Stewart Developments / stephenson hamilton risley STUDIO
7 comments:
The whole thing will have collapsed by the time Historic England approve anything.
Get Angela rainer involved will be demolished next week .
I was under the impression that only the ‘facade’ was listed. This was long since demolished so what’s the problem…?
They’ll refurbish it and serco will rent it from them for 5 years they’ll make a fortune and we’ll be stuck with all the dinghy divers from Calais just you wait and see the only thing Rotherham will get from this is a increased population and probably an increase in crime
Always look on the bright side of life
Bore off!
What a sad individual you are. It must be a real chore getting out of bed.
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