Page 185 - Eden Meadow 35 houses application as of 12 October

Our ref: JCH01005 20 Farringdon Street
London, EC4A 4AB
T +44 20 3691 0500

Date: 10 September 2020

20/501475/FULL: LAND TO REAR OF EDEN MEADOWS, NEWINGTON
BUILT HERITAGE ADDENDUM

Introduction
1. This Built Heritage Addendum has been prepared by RPS Heritage in relation to application
20/501475/FULL for the residential development of land to the Rear of Eden Meadows, Newington, Kent.
2. This report has been prepared as an addendum to the Built Heritage Statement (RPS; 2020) submitted
as part of the application. The Built Heritage Statement contained a detailed assessment of the heritage
assets affected by the proposed development in accordance with paragraph 189 of the NPPF. The
submission Built Heritage Statement confirmed that a single heritage asset: Ellen’s Place, a Grade II
listed building, would be affected by the proposed development and that the proposals would result in a
low level of less than substantial harm to the significance of this heritage asset.
3. This Addendum is intended to be read alongside the submission Built Heritage Statement and does not
repeat the information and assessment provided within that document. It has been prepared to provide
an updated assessment of impact based on the current, revised proposals and to explain how the
alterations to the proposed development will alter the setting and significance of Ellen’s Place. It also
responds to comments received from the Council’s Conservation and Design Manager on 24 April 2020.

Design Changes
4. The comments received from the Council’s Conservation and Design Manager identified that the
proposed development would result in less than substantial harm, but “that the impact would sit at the
top/high end of this spectrum”. This conclusion was reached primarily due to the impacts on the “strong
rural character” of the listed building and its setting and the alteration of views to and from the listed
building, including long-distance views from the south. The Officer also commented on the design of the
proposed development and considered that this was inappropriate and would have an cumulative impact
on the setting of the listed building when taken with the existing development at Eden’s Place which he
considered to have a “very clear suburbanising effect”.
5. A number of meetings and discussions have subsequently been held between the Council and Applicant
to discuss changes to the proposed development to assist in further reducing the impacts to the listed
building. This has included a complete revision of the north-east area of the site (the area in closest
proximity to the listed building) to step development away from the site boundary from approximately 4m
to 9.5m, provide a looser edge to the development and provide additional planting and soft landscaping
here. The landscape buffer in this part of the site is now substantial and would provide a significant level
of screening to the Listed Building,

Assessment of Impact
6. The revisions to the proposed development will enhance the soft, landscaped edge to the proposed
development with a native hedgerow and tree planting provided on the northern edge. The hedgerow
will reflect the current landscape character of the listed building’s setting and, together with the trees, will
provide filtered views between the proposed development and the listed building. The intention of the
planting is not to entirely block or prevent views between the development and the listed building, but to

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