Church Farm, North Stoke Lane, North Stoke

Proposal
Internal and external alterations to include re-roofing of principal hipped roof, including replacement of some rafters, strengthening works, installation of replacement rooflights, replacement gutters & down pipes, masonry repairs and…
Our Response

Church Farm is a Grade II late 17th century farmhouse situated within the North Stoke village conservation area, the Bath Green Belt, and the Cotswolds AONB. It additionally forms part of the curtilage setting of the Grade II late 18th/early 19th century adjoining barn of a complementary vernacular style, and the historic farmyard layout. Church Farm remains a highly visible example of North Stoke’s prevalent usage of Bath coursed rubble stone with ashlar quoins and Cotswold roof slates, and the well-preserved use of natural vernacular materials and forms within the village core.

Therefore, we strongly object to this application due to the proposed use of inappropriate materials which would harm the character and appearance of a Grade II building and its contribution to its historic farmyard setting, as well as the surviving vernacular homogeneity within the North Stoke village conservation area and the wider Cotswolds AONB.

Initially, the Trust would emphasise that we do not condone works which would alter the appearance or fabric of a listed building without appropriate listed building consent.
We would additionally highlight apparent discrepancies in the northwest elevation drawings, in which the central first floor window is missing in the proposed elevation drawing. No mention of the possible blocking of this window is made in this application; we would appreciate if this could be clarified with the LPA and the drawings amended.

We strongly oppose the use of reconstituted slates in place of natural Cotswold slate, which as presented in the D&A Statement are of a considerably wider and thicker profile. This would drastically alter the appearance and rural character of a Grade II listed building, and would be visually incongruous within its traditional vernacular setting typical of historic settlements within the Cotswolds AONB. We do not feel that adequate justification is provided to outweigh the harm to the appearance and material integrity of a Grade II listed building.

We acknowledge the existing modern windows are of negligible historic origin, but we have some concerns regarding the proposed insertion of slimline double glazing into the existing stone mullion and transoms. The increase in glazing rebate width from 4mm to 12mm, with additional rebate capacity for the inner putty, does not appear to have been considered in relation to the existing width capacity of the stone mullion and transoms. This could therefore result in oversized, ill-fitting windows at detriment to the significant aesthetic contribution of the historic window detailing to the articulation of the primary elevation of a listed building. Therefore, whilst we do not oppose the loss of modern timber joinery, we would strongly recommend that further information regarding the current measurements of the stone mullion and transom reveals and their suitability for adaption to slimline installation, otherwise an increase in depth will be of significant detriment to the building’s historic character and appearance. In this instance, the consideration of alternative measures such as secondary glazing or internal shutters may be more appropriate.

This application proposes the use of inappropriate materials which would harm the character and appearance of a Grade II building and its ancillary agricultural setting, and would neither preserve nor enhance the traditional character or appearance of the North Stoke village conservation area or its contribution to the special qualities of the Cotswolds AONB. This application is therefore contrary to the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, Section 15 and 16 of the NPPF, and Policies

Application Number: 20/01717/LBA
Application Date: 19/05/2020
Closing Date: 25/06/2020
Address: Church Farm, North Stoke Lane, North Stoke
Our Submission Status: Object