Policy DH7
Heritage and conservation
The council will conserve the significance of the borough's historic environment by protecting, restoring and enhancing its heritage assets. These assets include listed buildings, conservation areas historic parks and gardens, the scheduled monument of Fulham Palace Moated site, unscheduled archaeological remains and buildings and features of local interest. When determining applications affecting heritage assets, the council will apply the following principles:
a) the presumption will be in favour of the conservation, restoration and enhancement of heritage assets, and proposals should secure the long-term future of heritage assets. The more significant the designated heritage asset, the greater the presumption should be in favour of its conservation;
b) applications affecting designated heritage assets, including alterations and extensions to buildings will only be permitted if the significance of the heritage asset is conserved or enhanced;
c) applications should conserve the setting of, make a positive contribution to, or reveal the significance of the heritage asset. The presence of heritage assets should inform high quality design within their setting;
d) applications affecting non-designated heritage assets (buildings and artefacts of local importance and interest) will be determined having regard to the scale and impact of any harm or loss and the significance of the heritage asset in accordance with the relevant test of the National planning Policy Framework alongside relevant statutory duties;
e) particular regard will be given to matters of scale, height, massing, alignment, materials and use;
f) where changes of use are proposed for heritage assets, the proposed use, and any alterations that are required resulting from the proposed use should be consistent with the aims of conservation of the asset's significance, including securing its optimum viable use;
g) applications should include a description of the significance of the asset concerned and an assessment of the impact of the proposal upon it or its setting which should be carried out with the assistance of a suitably qualified person. The extent of the requirement should be proportionate to the nature and level of the asset's significance. Where archaeological remains of national significance may be affected applications should also be supported by an archaeological field evaluation;
h) proposals which involve substantial harm, or less than substantial harm to the significance of a heritage asset will be refused unless it can be demonstrated that they meet the relevant test of the National planning Policy Framework alongside relevant statutory duties;
i) where a heritage asset cannot be retained in its entirety or when a change of use is proposed the developer should ensure that a suitably qualified person carries out an analysis (including photographic surveys) of its design and significance, in order to record and advance the understanding of heritage in the borough. The extent of the requirement should be proportionate to the nature and level of the asset's significance;
j) the proposal respects the principles of accessible and inclusive design;
k) where measures to mitigate the effects of climate change are proposed, the applicants will be required to demonstrate how they have considered the significance of the heritage asset and tailored their proposals accordingly;
l) expert advice will be required to address the need to evaluate and conserve archaeological remains, and to advise on the appropriate mitigation measures in cases where excavation is justified; and
m) securing the future of heritage assets at risk identified on Historic England's national register, as part of a positive strategy for the historic environment
8.45 Planning [listed buildings and conservation areas] act 1990 sets out the principal statutory duties which must be considered in the determination of any application affecting listed buildings or conservation areas. The Act requires local planning authorities to:
- Have special regard to the desirability of preserving the [listed] building or its setting or any features of special, architectural, or historic interest which it possesses
- Pay special attention to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of the conservation area.
Heritage assets
8.46 Hammersmith and Fulham has maintained a much-valued built heritage, much of which falls within the borough's 45 designated conservation areas (as shown on the Policies Map) In many of these areas, the street provides a sense of scale and the setting for the consistent terraces of uniform architectural design. Within the borough, there are over 500 statutory Listed Buildings and approximately 2,150 locally designated Buildings of Merit, as well as a number of archaeological priority areas and the ancient monument of the Fulham Palace moated site. The heritage assets make an important contribution to the townscape character of the borough.
8.47 Heritage assets are a non-renewable resource. Proposals should therefore actively avoid harm and promote developments that reconcile heritage significance with economic and social aspirations to achieve sustainable development.
Conservation and development
8.48 New development should have a good relationship with the character of the surrounding historic context. The character of a conservation area will be derived from the individual buildings within it, their relationship to each other, and the spaces between them; from the townscape in its broadest sense, and from the interrelationship between the public realm, open spaces and the built form. The character of the conservation area may be uniform, or, in larger conservation areas, may vary within its boundaries. The character may also be defined by its land uses and by its archaeological potential.
8.49 The special character of the conservation areas makes it essential that new development accords with their special architectural and visual qualities. The character profiles produced for the borough's conservation areas will assist in interpreting the scale, massing, height and alignment of development and also the finer grain elements such as vertical and horizontal rhythms, materials and decorative or architecturally important features. Reference will also be made to street building lines and local building traditions where appropriate. New buildings will not necessarily be required to copy their older neighbours, although there will be places where a facsimile development will be appropriate. The aim should be to promote high quality design which contributes positively to the area, harmonising the new development with its neighbours in the conservation area. Valued historic assets can inform contemporary high quality design.
Listed buildings
8.50 The council will protect its listed buildings from demolition or harmful alteration and from development which has a harmful impact on their setting. No specific powers other than normal planning controls are available to regulate the use to which listed buildings are put, but the council considers that it is important that these buildings should not be used in a manner which is harmful to their character. Changes of use of listed buildings often require internal and external alterations that may affect the significance of the heritage asset. It will therefore take every opportunity to persuade those involved to co-operate in finding appropriate uses and may in certain circumstances be prepared to allow a use that would not normally be approved on other policy grounds, provided this will protect the character of the building. The council expects the owners and/or users of listed buildings to play their part in their upkeep, and will use its legal powers to ensure proper maintenance of buildings and their settings.
8.51 The council will work with Historic England to maintain the Heritage at Risk Register and reduce the number of heritage assets at risk in the borough.
8.52 The council wishes to promote simple and uncomplicated access, into and around listed buildings. The goal is for disabled people or people with mobility problems to use the property in the same way as everyone else. This will call for creative and sensitive solutions, however there may be cases where a compromise solution is necessary. The council will refer to guidance from Historic England to help determine applications where appropriate.
Buildings of merit
8.53 There are many buildings in the borough, in addition to the listed buildings, which are of merit, and which contribute to the character of the locality because of their townscape value, architectural quality or historic associations. Many of these buildings and artefacts are included in a Local Register. Most buildings on the register have been selected through external inspection on the basis of their architectural character and/or their contribution to the visual quality of the street scene. However, there may be instances where the interior of the buildings is valuable. Proposals to add to, or in exceptional cases remove, buildings from the Local Register will be considered as and when appropriate and in consultation with the relevant amenity societies. Furthermore, the council may recommend that particular buildings on the Local Register should be added to the Statutory National List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.
8.54 Locally important buildings are of value in terms of townscape, architectural or historic interest. The council will seek to preserve in a manner appropriate to their significance. Any alterations should only be carried out in a way that respects the scale, character and materials of the building
Archaeological priority areas
8.55 There will be a presumption against proposals which would involve significant alteration of, or cause damage to, or have a harmful impact on the setting of Archaeological Remains of National or Local Importance, whether scheduled or not.
8.56 Applicants will be required to arrange for archaeological field evaluation of any such remains within the archaeological priority areas defined on the Policies Map before applications are determined or if found during development works in such areas or elsewhere. Proposals should include provision for the remains and their settings to be protected, enhanced or preserved. Where it is accepted that physical preservation in situ is not possible or not merited, planning permission may be subject to conditions and/or formal agreement requiring the developer to secure investigation and recording of the remains and publication of the results. It is therefore important for developers to consult Greater London Archaeological Advisory Service (GLAAS) at an early stage.
8.57 Further guidance on archaeological priority areas can be found on the Historic England website. New buildings will normally destroy any archaeological remains and therefore these should be excavated by a qualified archaeological unit before work commences. This is because the context of any archaeological find is an essential part of the historical value of any remains. The council considers it is reasonable for a person threatening part of the community's heritage to fund adequate excavation, the subsequent academic and popular reports, as well as publicity both for the excavation and the reports. The council will encourage developers to inform local archaeological societies of the start of any archaeological excavation and to make arrangements for public viewing of excavations in progress, wherever possible, and for subsequent analysis, interpretation and presentation to the archaeological and amenity societies and the public of any archaeological results and finds.