A house in Holmfirth
Application to demolish a Victorian cottage in New Mill, near Holmfirth:
Planning application details | Kirklees Council
This Victorian cottage is in New Mill’s conservation area, and is an important component of the townscape that surround the village church. It would normally be described as ‘an unremarkable building’ in any heritage statement, but the 15 unremarkable buildings that constitute the centre of New Mill that give it a sense of place. Historic buildings in conservations should not be demolished. Simple as that.
Birkdale High School, Dewsbury
Kirklees Council seek permission to demolish one of their schools:
Planning application details | Kirklees Council
Kirklees are looking to demolish a former high school that closed in 2011. The building dates from the 1930’s and was bequeathed to the people of Dewsbury by John Wheelwright (thanks to Facebook user Pam Schofield for this information), so presumably there is a covenant on the land that requires the site to be for educational purposes in perpetuity.
The Facebook group for the school’s alumni are understandably saddened by this news. The building is robust, and urban explorers have revealed that the beautiful interior remains in good nick.
This is a brilliant example of classicism in early 20th century modernity and the tail end of Victorian civic pride. Its a shame the Council can’t retain the arched frontage in some way. The vintage of buildings like this mean they fall outside of historically valuable, and they are being lost quickly.
Vale Mills, Haworth
Application to demolish the main mill building of Vale Mills between Haworth and Oakworth:
This application was reported in local and national media as converting this Victorian mill into housing, however upon scrutiny on the plans, the large 4 story mill building, which is the most prominent component of this historic site, was to be demolished. The grade II listed smaller L-shaped mill building would be the only retained element converted. This would be demolition by stealth.
A certificate of lawfulness was originally submitted to Bradford Council, which would not allow for the refusal of the proposal. Rather, it would have been an exercise in assessing whether or not the demolition is covered by permitted development laws.
However, I have been in touch with Heritage England, and they have clarified that because this building falls within the property boundary of the grade II listed mill building, it is at the discretion of the Local Authority as to whether or not the larger building is ‘curtilege listed’. Ward Councillors have been in touch with the Case Officer, so I hope that this proposal is considered unlawful under permitted development rights.
This is a beautiful old mill building complementing the topography of the Worth Valley, and adding to the heritage landscape that the KWVR preserved steam railway navigates. Surely if the developer is mobilising the talent needed to convert half of this mill into residential use, they may as well do the job properly and utilise all of the mill.
