18 C O N T E X T 8 6 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 4 successfully converted to new uses such as housing or offices. One of the largest was, until recently, the Tillie and Henderson factory, listed B+ (the equivalent of Grade II* in England andWales). In a fascinating tour of the city’s textile heritage, Annesley Malley of the Foyle Civic Trust, described how a young Victorian entrepreneur William Tillie purchased 100 Thomas sewing machines shortly after their introduction in 1851 and brought them to Derry. With his business partner he founded the Tillie and Henderson factory in 1856, and by the end of the century it was said to be the largest of its kind in the world, employing 4,500 people in the factory itself and a further 1,500 outworkers. The factory finally closed in the 1970s and was eventually purchased by a Belfast developer Diljit against unauthorised listed building alterations and demolitions such as this. The general expectation was that the demolition of theTillie and Henderson factory might well, in the end, be authorised. As Kevin Baird put it, there is a widely held belief that any investment is good investment. DOENI has since confirmed that no action is to be taken against the owner. A further point is that where the DOENI has been prepared to take a stance and resist proposals for demolition it has not been supported by the Planning Appeals Commission. Notwithstanding all the above, delegates could see that Derry remains a beautiful city with much historic fabric still evident in its walls and Georgian terraces, situated in a stunning location on the banks of the River Foyle. Planning infrastructure Northern Ireland may be approximately the size of Yorkshire, but it has its own assembly (currently suspended) and a very different legislative infrastructure from the rest of the UK. Throughout the province, planning and heritage protection are controlled by the Department of the Environment (DoE, NI) through two subsidiary agencies: the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) is responsible for listing buildings and giving grants, and the Planning Service is responsible for development control, including listed building consents, conservation area consents and the designation of conservation areas. Local government is consulted but otherwise has no direct involvement. The roles of these two government agencies were outlined at the School in several of the lectures, including those by Ian McQuiston of the Historic Buildings Council, by John Linden, head of Planning Policy for the Planning Service, and by Richard Rogers, the chief executive of EHS. Ian McQuiston, whose speech is outlined on page 26, was particularly IHBC Annual School 2004 IHBC Annual School 2003 IHBC Annual School 2003 The Tillie & Henderson factory – unauthorised demolition in progress (Photo: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society) Rana (now Lord Rana) and his company Andras House. Their proposals to replace the factory with a 120-bedroom hotel were opposed by all the heritage bodies, including the Foyle Civic Trust, the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society (UAHS) and Hearth, a buildings preservation trust which was prepared to take on the building if necessary. Although the planners recommended approving the redevelopment, there was strong opposition from Derry City Council – which, according to Rita Harkin of the UAHS, is rare and indicates how strongly the people of Derry were opposed to its demolition. In December 2002 a succession of fires – over 30 fires in total – was started in the building. Most did little damage, but the last destroyed its roof. Despite the damage, it seems likely that the building still could have been saved, although engineers’ reports gave conflicting advice. A temporary injunction was taken by the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS – an agency of the Department of the Environment), to prevent its demolition by the developers. However, the injunction was later withdrawn by a judge as the EHS was unwilling to indemnify Andras against possible claims arising from the building’s condition. With several roads around the factory closed, the arguments had become muddier. Early in January 2003, Andras moved the bulldozers in and, without authorisation or listed building consent, proceeded to demolish the factory brick by brick to leave a cleared site in readiness for the new hotel. Many of the speakers at the school referred to the lack of political resolve to take action The Presbyterian church on Great James Street, Derry. This is one of the buildings included on BARNI, the register of buildings at risk in Northern Ireland which is now online.
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