C O N T E X T 1 0 5 : J U LY 2 0 0 8 43 elaine milton Listed farm buildings under threat The case of a farm building near Salisbury raises the question of whether only the most significant cases which English Heritage deems to be of ‘national’ interest will be called in. The Government Office for the SouthWest has recently decided not to call in an application for listed building consent for the total demolition of a Grade II listed granary in a farm complex on the Longford Estate, approximately 10 miles south of Salisbury. In 2004 an urgent works notice was served on the estate, with the aim of stabilising the building and keeping the roof watertight. The estate’s failure to act on the notice led the council to appoint contractors to carry out the work, and reclaim the cost from the estate. At around the same time, the estate submitted a listed building application for the total demolition of the granary. This was refused by the council on the grounds that the proposed dismantling of the listed building would result in the loss of a local, traditional farm building, diminishing the importance of the surrounding historic farm complex. Furthermore, it was considered that, taking into account the advice in PPG15, no adequate justification had been provided regarding the demolition of the listed building. The condition of the granary continued to be monitored following the urgent works. In 2006 council officers grew concerned regarding the widening of the crack in the gable end wall despite the structural supports that were in place. In addition, the roof tarpaulin was ripped in several places allowing the rain to penetrate.The council commissioned another structural survey and report, with a view to serving a second urgent works notice. Officers contacted the estate to explain the council’s intentions. In the meantime the estate decided to submit a second application for listed building consent for the demolition of the granary. A report was presented to one of the council’s area committees in July 2007 with a recommendation for refusal of listed building consent, and recommending the service of a second urgent works notice.The officer’s report stated that the condition of the granary had been allowed to decline over the years to such an extent that the repair costs were rising. Taking into account the advice in PPG15, it was not considered that this was sufficient justification for permitting the total demolition of the building.The advice from the structural engineer was that the building could be stabilised. Despite strong opposition from consultees including English Heritage, the SPAB, the Council for British Archaeology, the Georgian Group, and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the council’s committee resolved to approve the application for demolition, contrary to the officer’s recommendation. Since the proposals involved the total demolition of the listed building, the recommendation for approval was referred to the Government Office for the South West to determine whether the application should be called in for determination by the secretary of state. Over six months later, notification was finally received to say that the application was not being called in. The application for demolition of the barn was therefore approved. The case raises three issues of concern. First, there is the issue of the time taken for GOSW to come to its decision, an unacceptable length of time given the frailty of the building in question. The council’s committee was unwilling to agree to the service of an urgent works notice until the outcome of the referral to GOSW was known. In the meantime the condition of the building continued to deteriorate. Second, and more significantly, despite objections to the demolition by English Heritage and the other statutory consultees, the matter was not considered by GOSW to merit being called in. Behind the scenes, at a meeting of county conservation officers, officers were told that the decision not to call in the application was due to the unwillingness of English Heritage to attend a public inquiry. Finally, there is the message that this decision sends to the wider community. Can we really expect farmers to care for these problematic structures in an environment of virtually non-existent financial support for such buildings, where doing nothing is seemingly rewarded and where English Heritage, the lead heritage body, considers that the defence of such structures is not a priority? Under the current procedure, should central government decide to call in applications a public inquiry must be held and English Heritage is expected to act as an expert witness, a potentially costly exercise. Since it would seem that the decision not to call in the application for the demolition of the granary was due to a lack of resources, surely the procedure should be amended to enable call-ins to be determined in the same manner as planning appeals, so that they can be dealt with under the written representations procedure? Otherwise it looks like only the most significant cases which English Heritage deems to be of ‘national’ interest are likely to be called in. The message that this sends to the owners of Grade II listed buildings is a cause for concern. Elaine Milton is principal conservation officer with Salisbury District Council. The granary at Barford Park Farm near Downton is described in the listing as ‘possibly originally timberframed and rebuilt in brick in the 18th century’. It is unusual for its load-bearing Flemish bond brick walls on staddle stones.The building forms part of an attractive complex of farm buildings that formerly served a nearby mansion, Barford House, itself demolished in 1815, possibly following a fire.There are five other listed buildings within the farm complex, including the farmhouse, and an impressive range of barns and stables adjacent to the granary.The building currently forms part of a much larger estate. As with many historic farm buildings, the granary had been unused for a number of years. It was suffering from structural problems, probably as a result of the weight of the bricks on the supporting joists.The front brick wall was seriously bowed and perilously close to collapse, evidenced by a crack in the gable wall where the front wall was moving outwards.
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