Appendices 1 St Mary the Virgin, Devizes...C Notes of Future User Groups Seminar Summary 09/2012 D...

Appendices 1

580 Grounds of Appeal v5 Appendices 140414 15/04/2014 © Christopher Pound 2014

An appeal for the church of St Mary the Virgin, Devizes

Appeal Statement

Appendices

An Appeal by the Parochial Church Council of St John and St Mary’s, Devizes.

Church of Mary the Virgin

New Park Street Devizes SN10 IDS

Application Number 13/00719/FUL

Architects:-

Batterham Mathew Design [email protected]

This statement was prepared by: Christopher Pound, Msc Arch DipTp RIBA MRTPI IHBC

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Appendices 2



Appendices

Appendix A Documents included with the application

Appendix B Location Plan

Appendix C Listed building description

Appendix D Church Commissioner’s Letter of 21/10/2013

Appendix E Timeline

Appendix F Wiltshire Council Decision Letter 24/10/2013

Appendix G Ground Floor Plan drawing 1733/P03

Appendix H Change to the setting of the church

Appendix I Change to the wider setting of the church

Appendix J Setting of nearby listed buildings

Appendix K Devizes Conservation Area

Appendix L The Statutory Policy

Appendix M Material considerations –Core Strategy

Appendix M Material consideration – extracts from NPPF

Appendix N Viability, Business Plan and Statement of Need

Appendices 3



Appendix A: - Documents included with

the planning application Application Form 22Apr 2013 Covering letter

Application Drawings P/01 Location and Block Plan P/02 Proposed Site Sections P/03 Proposed Ground Floor layout P/04 Proposed Roof Plan P/05 Proposed Building section P/06 Proposed NW and SE Elevations

P/07 Proposed NE and SW Elevations

P/08 Proposed Construction section S01 Topographical Site Survey S03 Existing Church plans S05 Existing Church elevations So6 Existing Church elevations

So7 Existing Church elevations L202 Proposed Constructor’s site Compound

Documents

Design and Access, Heritage and Sustainability Statement

A Statement of Significance by T.Scorer, Feb 2013

B Statement of Need by T.Scorer, Feb 2013

C Business Plan V_1 by T.Scorer, March 2013

D Historic Building Assessment, M. McMurray, Sept 2009 –

Text document & associated figures

E Conservation Study of Churchyard V1 by S.Brazier T.Scorer,

Oct 2010

F Written Scheme of Investigations for an Archaeological

Evaluation by Michael Heaton Heritage Consultants, August

2011

G Archaeological Evaluation by Headland Archaeology Ltd, Jan

2012

H Arboriculture report by I.Pocock, April 2013

Secondary Supplementary Information – Background

information

A Notes of a meeting held with neighbours at 48 New Park Road,

22/04/13

B Notes of a pre-planning meeting held on 10/04/13

C Notes of Future User Groups Seminar Summary 09/2012

D Notes of Future User Groups Seminar 23/08/2012

E Report of phone call with M. Saunders, Ancient Monuments

Society, 29/07/11

F Letter from Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings,

21/6/11

G DAC meeting, 08/04/11

H Notes of Public meeting 14/03/11

J Meeting minutes of StMFG re. architectural competition

24.06.2010

Appendices 4



K Summary Report on Consultation Questionnaire 06.2009

L Consultation Questionnaire 05.2009

M Letter 20/06/2007 Ref NB34/112/RA to Bishop of Salisbury

from CofE Church Commissioners, Pastoral and Redundant

Churches Secretary

N Letter 02/01/2007 RC34/112 To R Trahair Secretary Salisbury

DRCUC from CofE Church Commissioners Redundant Churches

Division

P Letter 10/10/2006 re Pastoral Measure 1983 Ref

NB34/112B/RA draft scheme for Redundancy for St Mary

Devizes

Q Letter 01.08.2006 Diocese redundancy application. Pastoral

Measure Report, 20/07/2006: Council for the Care of Churches

PM1751

Secondary Supplementary Information – Background

information - Letters of Support

A Letter Chris Romain, Church architect, 14/2/13

B Letter, Penny Price Jones, Music Teacher, 30/1/12

C Letter, Devizes Musical Theatre, 16/11/13

D Letter, Devizes Festival, 9/11/11

E Letter, Diocese of Salisbury Archdeacon of Wilts, 4/11/11

F Letter, White Horse Opera, 1/11/11

G Letter, Lawrence Society of Arts, 7/10/11

H Letter, Devizes carnival, 6/10/11

J Letter, Jane Ford Dance Practioner, Oct 2011

K Letter, Local residents Commercial Road, 25/9/11

L Letter, CoE CBC, 19/5/11

M Letter, Devizes & District PHAB 14/07/09

Appendices 5



Appendix B: - Location

Appendices 6



Appendix C: - Listed building description

DEVIZES 657/3/160 NEW PARK STREET 09-APR-54 (Northeast side) CHURCH OF ST MARY GV I

Of Norman origin but rebuilt in Cl5 except for chancel, with west tower, aisles and nave. Tall and very fine west tower, diagonal buttresses decorated with buttress shafts and pinnacles in relief.

Crowning pinnacles. Octagonal stair turret. Paired 2 light bell stage openings. 4 light Perpendicular west window with transom, niches flanking. Aisle and clerestory 3 light Perpendicular windows.

Gargoyles and battlement cresting with pinnacles. Norman chancel with characteristic square stone blocks, flat buttresses and corbel table. East window Victorian but above on gable end of C15 body an original canopied niche with Cl5 statue of the Virgin. 2 storeyed

crenelated south porch, the entrance with reused Norman zig zag bands up the arch. The interior of the chancel has 2 bay rib vaulting, fat roll mouldings, intersecting arches around walls, though only a fragment on the south wall is original. The C15 body of the church has a fine timber roof, low pitch over the nave with tie beams and tracery over. An inscription records the rebuilding of the church by William Smythe who died in 1436. 5 bay arcades with

octagonal piers, double hollow chamfered arches. Low panelled

chancel arch. Tall arch to tower which has tierceron-star vault 1, bosses, large circular opening for bell ropes. The tower is a dominating feature of the street scene.

Listing NGR: SU0060361610 Additional note:- The Clergy Vestry

The clergy vestry was added as part of the 1854 restoration. To resolve problems of damp, the floor was lowered in 1934. Repairs to the roof were undertaken in 1996. Repairs to the collapsed floor were undertaken in 2006.

Source:- Matthew McMurray, 2009, ‘St Mary the Virgin, Devizes:

Historic Building Assessment.’ p.33

1 Tierceron:- A secondary rib issuing from one of the main springers or

central boss leading to a place on a ridge rib. Introduced in the 13th

century.

Appendices 7



Appendix D:- Church Commissioners’ letter of 21/10/2013

Appendices 8



Appendices 9



Appendix E:- Timeline

2006 Parochial Church Council applied to have St Mary’s declared redundant.

2006 Diocese of Salisbury pointed out that the Church Commissioners would push the Diocese to seek alternative use, such as community use as an exhibition hall, museum, concert hall, theatre etc. A use would have to be found that left the exterior unaltered…. It is also

likely that the authorities would require minimum internal changes. [letter (RDT/TB/4230) dated 2nd February 2006] It is worth noting that this letter predicates against fitting

the required new facilities of toilets and offices within the nave and chancel.

2006 Diocese of Salisbury was greatly relieved that there will be positive local support and commitment to help try and cultivate a body of local people willing to take on the building for a community project.

[Letter dated 21st June 2006 (RDT/LC/5375]

2007 The Redundant Churches Division wrote “Whilst the board considered the church to be of sufficient overall merit vesting in the Churches Conservation Trust, it is agreed that there was enough flexibility in the contents to

support a use requiring a large and ostensibly undivided space. The Board’s advice on the management of change is set out in the enclosed “Options and Impact Appraisal” which addresses the principal options and draws

provisional conclusions as to their impacts.” [Letter January 2007 (RC34/112 )]

2007 The Pastoral and Redundant Churches Secretary wrote “That other ecclesiastical avenues for the future of St Mary looking beyond the parish should be more fully explored before the diocese considered closing such a building for Christian worship.”

The PCC took note of these suggestions and set up a St Mary’s Future Group to undertake the necessary research. [See the Statement of Significance and letter of 20 June 2007 (NB34/112/RA)]

2008 First public consultation A public meeting was called in May 2008 following the PCC vote to involve the local community in determining a

viable future use for St Mary’s. This was one of a number of meetings to examine the options and identify actions.

2009 This application was formally withdrawn in November 2009 (NB34/112B/RA) by notice from the Church Commissioners. Two factors led to this decision: firstly St Mary’s was used as the parish church after the fire which badly damaged the interior of St John’s and secondly a

public consultation had demonstrated local support for a Community Event space and serviced charity accommodation.

Appendices 10



If the development proposed is rejected then the building will be without a purposeful use and the PCC will again consider petitioning for it to be made redundant.

2009 An opinion survey was undertaken, which involved canvassing the views of local experts and influencers on

what might be accomplished with the building to give it a new purpose. This survey started in May 2009 and a final report was given to the PCC in the autumn. The survey put up two concepts,:

St Mary’s as a ‘Medium Place of Assembly’ with

a maximum capacity about 250 persons seated, for use as an arts, sports, social and meeting place.

St Mary’s as a drop-in centre and serviced offices with small meeting rooms and storage space for charitable organisations.

2009 Following this study the PCC decided to proceed with the idea of community use with serviced accommodation for charities. It determined that there would be a number of Unique Selling Points of the venue when compared with others in the town:

A community event space for 200 to 250 people,

with raked seating available. A meeting venue with breakout rooms Serviced accommodation for charities reinforced

by the provision of modern information technology services, such as broadband access, computers and projectors.

2012 Architectural Competition The PCC prepared an architect’s brief based on the requirements of a community event space, put this brief out for response, shortlisted three architectural practices for more detailed ideas and subsequently awarded the

contract to Batterham Matthews Design of Bath. The winning design called for the necessary additional rooms to be contained in a low level semi-circular cloister to the north of the church, allowing a light touch to be made on the interior of the church building.

2012 A well-attended seminar of invited potential users was held in August 2012 to critique the plans. This consultation resulted in a number of minor changes and improvements to the construction plans and fittings list.

2013 A new charitable company St Mary Devizes Trust was set

up. Under its auspices a group of volunteers has initiated various events and performances in the church. All these activities have been well supported and demonstrate the value the community place on the preservation of the building as part of the fabric of the town. Appendix N

Appendices 11



Appendix F:- Decision Letter

Appendices 12



Appendix G: - Ground Floor Plan Drawing 1733/ P03

Footprint of the Church 577m2

Footprint of the Cloister 340m2

Gross volume of the Church 7393 m3

Gross volume of the Cloister 1088 m3

Appendices 13



Appendix H: - setting of the church

The churchyard

01 The setting of the church can be considered in at least two

parts. Firstly, the setting includes the immediate

surroundings of the church within and views and access into

the churchyard. Views of the proposed cloister can be seen

only from the southwest entrance and part of Commercial

Road. These views are restricted because of a change in

level and a screen of trees along the edge of the

churchyard.

02 Limited views of the entrance to the cloister will be seen

from an area close to the west side of the tower. These

are very limited.

03 The cloister will not be seen from the south side of the

church. Because these views are so restricted there is a

change here but this is not substantial harm to the

immediate setting of the church.

Views towards the site of the proposed cloister in the immediate setting of the church.

Appendices 14



Commercial Road

04 The setting of the church can be considered in at least two

parts. Firstly, the setting includes the immediate

surroundings of the church within and views and access into

the churchyard. These views of the proposed cloister can be

seen only from the southwest entrance and part of

Commercial Road. These views are restricted because of a

change in level and a screen of trees along the edge of the

churchyard. Because these limited views are restricted

there is a change but this is not substantial harm to the

immediate setting of the church.

Views to the site of the proposed cloister from Commercial Road.

Appendices 15



New Park Road

05 The views of the site of the proposed cloister from New

Park Road are limited by two properties, walls and a

restricted gate. Accordingly the proposals have no impact

on the setting church from this station.

Views towards the site of the proposed cloister from New Park Road.

Appendices 16



New Park Street

06 The views into the site of the cloister from New Park Street

are restricted by the narrow entrance and trees.

Accordingly, the proposals have virtually no impact on the

setting church from this station.

Views into the site of the proposed cloister from New Park Street.

Appendices 17



Appendix I: The wider setting

Wider setting

07 The listed building description notes the spectacular high

tower is a ‘dominating feature of the street scene’. Because

the tower can be seen from a wide area in and around the

town, it establishes a wider setting of the church.

Surrounding buildings form a carapace that effectively

screens the churchyard from many views. Views of the

tower are not affected by the proposals. There is no harm

to wider setting of the church. Appendix G

Views to the tower from New Park Street.

View to the tower from New Park Street.

View to the tower from Monday Market.

View to the tower from the South. View to the tower from the North.

Appendices 18



Appendix J: - setting of nearby Listed Buildings

The Castle Hotel 08 The impact of the proposed cloister on setting of the rear of

Castle Hotel is limited because much of the new building is

behind the church and existing trees. The suite of rooms with

windows on the northeast façade of the hotel generally face

the south side of the Church and south part of the

churchyard and Chantry Court. No harm could be held to

the setting of this listed building because the relationship of

the north east corner to the cloister is marginal.

Setting of the rear of Castle Hotel.

The three windows at the rear of Castle Hotel generally address the south side of the church and churchyard.

Appendices 19



57 and 58 New Park Street 09 The cloister has virtually no impact on the setting of 57 and

58 New Park Street on account of distance, the intervening

road, small hedge and trees at the entrance. The cloister

and these buildings cannot be seen together. There is no

harm to the setting of these buildings.

The setting of 57 and 58 New Park Street is not affected by the proposed cloister.

Appendices 20



48 New Park Street

10 The cloister introduces change to the setting of 48 New

Park Street. This cannot be held to be substantial harm

because the cloister is low, few views from windows of

No.48, the relationship with the low car park and

intervening boundary wall.

Relationship to of the site of the cloister to 48 New Park Street.

The south west façade and boundary of 48 New Park Street

Appendices 21



47 New Park Street (Brownston House) 11 The cloister introduces marginal change to the setting of 47

New Park Street. This is limited by distance, an intervening

property two walls and car parks. Because of these the

small change cannot be held to be substantial harm to the

setting of Brownston House.

Setting of the south west façade of 47 New Park Street (Brownston House

Relationship of the site of the cloister with No. 47 New Park Street (Brownston House)

Relationship of the site of the cloister with the New Park Road wall of No. 47 New Park Street (Brownston House)

The New Park Street facade of No. 47 New Park Street (Brownston House) with the forecourt wall and adjacent number 48 New Park Street. With the church, these are listed inter-alia for their group value

Appendices 22



Mary’s Cottages The cloister introduces change to the setting of Mary’s Cottages.

However the views from the windows in the southeast façade

that address the northeast part of the churchyard will not be affected. Oblique views from the cottage windows to the south

will address the new cloister. However this building is low and

partly concealed. There will be a marginal change in the

relationship of the cottages to the cloister when seen from

Commercial Road because the cloister is low and partly

concealed.

South east elevation of Mary’s Cottages facing the churchyard

Relationship of the site of the cloister with Mary’s Cottages.

View past Mary’s Cottages from the North and Commercial Road into the churchyard.

Appendices 23



Appendix K: - Devizes Conservation Area

Northgate Street and New Park Street Area There is considerable traffic movement through Devizes on the

east-west axis, most of which travels through these streets and

has an influence on their character. The domestic buildings

along the north side of Northgate Street are relatively small in

scale which gives greater emphasis to the former Assize Courts

and Wadworth’s Brewery. Buildings on the south side of

Northgate Street have a higher status, especially Northgate

House and Sandcliffe.

Within New Park Street are a number of sites that detract from

the quality of the Conservation Area, these being:

A the car park gap site (Now Central car park opposite

St Mary’s and the two car parks opposite

Wadworth Brewery)

An extract from the

‘Devizes Conservation Area

Statement 2005’, p.11

Changes that have taken

place since the Document

was approved are

indicated in bold type.

Appendices 24



B the former filling station east of the Brewery (Now a car

wash and MOT test site

C the tyre depot at Wharf Street (Now Carpetright

warehouse at the entrance to the Wharf car park

D the former auction rooms (not clear where these

were)

E the vehicle sales opposite Longs Stores (Now another

tyre depot)

F the Health Clinic and associated parking area (Majestic

Wine warehouse replacing the demolished Health

Clinic

G the Iceland block at the junction with Maryport Street

(Now rectangular flat roofed block that houses

M&S food store)

Key elements are:

The historic alignment of New Park Street in relation to the

outer bailey of the Castle

Individual buildings of architectural and historic interest, in

particular the former Assize Courts, Northgate House,

Wadworths Brewery, Longs Stores, Brownstone House, St.

Mary's Church (behind the frontage) and the Castle Hotel.

Northgate Street being the main route into the town from

the west

New Park Street is now used as a through route for passing

traffic. The architecture here is varied with a number of

historic buildings of quality. Interspersed between the

frontage buildings are mid to late 20th century

developments, many of which are set back from the road

and thereby create a visual break in the street scene. The

curve of the street presents a constantly changing

picture.

Appendices 25



Appendix L The statutory policy

Kennet District Council Local Plan (Saved Policy)

Policy PD1

DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN

A. General Application

A high standard of design will be expected in new

developments, extensions or alterations to existing

buildings, changes of use and in proposals affecting the

landscape and environment, to ensure that the character,

appearance and environmental quality of the Kennet area is

maintained or enhanced, and to promote safety and

compatibility between adjoining land uses.

B. Considerations

In order to achieve high standards of design, all

development proposals should adequately address the

factors listed below, where they are relevant to the

development under consideration:-

1) Sustainable design principles;

2) Scale, height, massing and density of

development;

3) Relationship to townscape and landscape context

and related ecology;

4) Layout, servicing and access arrangements, and road

safety;

5) How the development contributes to the creation

of a well used, attractive and safe public realm;

6) Landscape proposals;

7) Relationship to historic features;

8) Elevational treatment;

9) Building materials, colour and detailing; and

10) The impact on residential amenity, including that

caused by reason of noise and disturbance.

The proposals are consistent

with the considerations shown as bold.

Appendices 26



Appendix M:- Material considerations: draft Core Strategy

Wiltshire Council Draft Core Strategy (Pre submission Document)

Core Policy 57 Ensuring high quality design and place shaping

A high standard of design is required in all new developments,

including extensions, alterations, and changes of use of existing

buildings. Development is expected to create a strong sense of

place through drawing on the local context and being

complimentary to the locality. Applications for new development

must be accompanied by appropriate information to

demonstrate how the proposal will make a positive contribution

to the character of Wiltshire through:

i. enhancing local distinctiveness by responding to the

value of the natural and historic environment, relating

positively to its landscape setting and the exiting pattern of

development and responding to local topography by

ensuring that important views into, within and out of the

site are to be retained and enhanced

ii. the retention and enhancement of existing important

landscaping and natural features, (for example trees,

hedges, banks and watercourses), in order to take

opportunities to enhance biodiversity, create wildlife and

recreational corridors, effectively integrate the development

into its setting and to justify and mitigate against any

losses that may occur through the development

iii. responding positively to the existing townscape and

landscape features in terms of building layouts, built form,

height, mass, scale, building line, plot size, elevational

design, materials, streetscape and rooflines to effectively

integrate the building into its setting

iv. being sympathetic to and conserving historic

buildings and historic landscapes

v. the maximisation of opportunities for sustainable

construction techniques, use of renewable energy

sources and ensuring buildings and spaces are orientated to

gain maximum benefit from sunlight and passive solar

energy, in accordance with Core Policy 41

vi. making efficient use of land whilst taking account of

the characteristics of the site and the local context to

deliver an appropriate development which relates

effectively to the immediate setting and to the wider

character of the area

vii. having regard to the compatibility of adjoining

buildings and uses, the impact on the amenities of

Appendices 27



existing occupants, and ensuring that appropriate

levels of amenity are achievable within the

development itself, including the consideration of

privacy, overshadowing; vibration; and pollution

(such as light intrusion, noise, smoke, fumes,

effluent, waste or litter)

viii. incorporating measures to reduce any actual or perceived

opportunities for crime or antisocial behaviour on the site

and in the surrounding area through the creation of visually

attractive frontages that have windows and doors located to

assist in the informal surveillance of public and shared

areas by occupants of the site

ix. ensuring that the public realm, including new roads and

other rights of way, are designed to create places of

character which are legible and accessible

x. the sensitive design of advertisements and signage, which

are appropriate and sympathetic to their local setting by

means of scale, design, lighting and materials

xi. taking account of the needs of potential occupants, through

planning for diversity and adaptability, and considering how

buildings and space will be used in the immediate and long

term future

xii. the use of high standards of building materials,

finishes and landscaping, including the provision of

street furniture and public art where appropriate

xiii. in the case of major developments, ensuring they are

accompanied by a detailed design statement and master

plan, which is based on an analysis of the local context and

assessment of constraints and opportunities of the site and

is informed by a development concept, including clearly

stated design principles, which will underpin the character

of the new place.

Targets: High standard of design achieved in all new

developments.

Monitoring and review: To be monitored through the Wiltshire

Monitoring Framework.

Delivery responsibility: Wiltshire Council.

Core Policy 58

Ensuring the conservation of the historic environment

Development should protect, conserve and where possible

enhance the historic environment, and should not have an

unacceptable impact on the historic environment,

particularly where this could be avoided or mitigated.

Appendices 28



Designated historic assets and their settings will be conserved,

and where appropriate enhanced, including:

i. archaeological remains and their setting

ii. the World Heritage Site

iii. buildings and structures of special architectural

or historic interest and their settings

iv. the special character or appearance of

conservation areas and their settings

v. historic parks and gardens and their setting

vi. important landscapes and townscapes.

Development will be required to conserve and seek opportunities

to enhance structures and areas of heritage significance

throughout Wiltshire, including the character, setting and

cultural significance of designated and other locally or regionally

significant non-designated heritage assets, including:

vii. the sensitive re-use of redundant and under-used historic

buildings and areas which are consistent with their

conservation especially in relation to the viable re-use of

heritage assets at risk

viii. opportunities to enhance Wiltshire’s historic public realm by

ensuring that all development, including transport and

infrastructure work, is sensitive to the historic environment

Distinctive elements of Wiltshire’s historic environment, which

creates a sense of local character and identity and

variation across the county, will be conserved, enhanced

and their potential to contribute towards wider social, cultural,

economic and environmental benefits will be exploited,

including:

ix. the individual and distinctive character and

appearance of Wiltshire’s historic market towns and

villages

x. nationally significant prehistoric archaeological monuments

and landscapes

xi. the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site

xii. historic buildings and structures related to the textile

industry

xiii. historic rural structures including threshing barns,

granaries, malt houses, dovecots and stables

xiv. ecclesiastical sites including churches, chapels and

monuments

xv. the historic Great Western Railway and associated

structures

xvi. the historic waterways and associated structures including

canals and river courses

xvii. heritage assets associated with the military.

Targets: No increase in Buildings at Risk (BAR), no loss of listed

buildings.

Monitoring and Review: To be monitored through the

Wiltshire Monitoring Framework.

Delivery Responsibility: Wiltshire Council.

Appendices 29



Appendix M:- Relevant extracts of the National

Planning Policy Framework 2012

7. Requiring good design

56. The Government attaches great importance to the design of the built environment. Good design is a key aspect of sustainable development, is indivisible from good planning, and should contribute positively to making places better for people.

61. Although visual appearance and the architecture of individual

buildings are very important factors, securing high quality and inclusive design goes beyond aesthetic considerations. Therefore, planning policies and decisions should address the

connections between people and places and the integration of new development into the natural, built and historic

environment. 63. In determining applications, great weight should be

given to outstanding or innovative designs which help raise the standard of design more generally in the area.

64. Permission should be refused for development of poor design that fails to take the opportunities available for improving the character and quality of an area and the way it functions.

65. Local planning authorities should not refuse planning

permission for buildings or infrastructure which promote high levels of sustainability because of concerns about

incompatibility with an existing townscape, if those concerns have been mitigated by good design (unless

the concern relates to a designated heritage asset and the impact would cause material harm to the asset or its setting which is not outweighed by the proposal’s economic, social and environmental benefits).

66. Applicants will be expected to work closely with those directly affected by their proposals to evolve designs that take account of the views of the community. Proposals that can demonstrate this in developing the design of the new development should be looked on more favourably.

Appendices 30



12. Conserving and enhancing the historic

environment

128. In determining applications, local planning authorities should require an applicant to describe the significance of any heritage assets affected, including any contribution made by their setting. The level of detail should be proportionate to the assets’ importance and no more than is sufficient to understand the potential impact of the proposal on their

significance. As a minimum the relevant historic environment record should have been consulted and the heritage assets assessed using appropriate expertise where necessary. Where a site on which development is proposed includes or has the potential to include heritage assets with archaeological

interest, local planning authorities should require developers to submit an appropriate desk-based assessment and, where

necessary, a field evaluation. 129. Local planning authorities should identify and assess the

particular significance of any heritage asset that may be affected by a proposal (including by development affecting the setting of a heritage asset) taking account of the available evidence and any necessary expertise. They should take this

assessment into account when considering the impact of a proposal on a heritage asset, to avoid or minimise conflict between the heritage asset’s conservation and any aspect of the proposal.

131. In determining planning applications, local planning authorities

should take account of: ● the desirability of sustaining and enhancing the

significance of heritage assets and putting them to

viable uses consistent with their conservation; ● the positive contribution that conservation of

heritage assets can make to sustainable communities including their economic vitality; and

● the desirability of new development making a positive contribution to local character and distinctiveness.

132. When considering the impact of a proposed development on

the significance of a designated heritage asset, great weight should be given to the asset’s conservation. The more

important the asset, the greater the weight should be. Significance can be harmed or lost through alteration or destruction of the heritage asset or development within its setting. As heritage assets are irreplaceable, any harm or loss should require clear and convincing justification. Substantial harm to or loss of a grade II listed building, park or garden

should be exceptional. Substantial harm to or loss of designated heritage assets of the highest significance, notably scheduled monuments, protected wreck sites, battlefields, grade I and II* listed buildings, grade I and II* registered parks and gardens, and World Heritage Sites, should be wholly exceptional.

133. Where a proposed development will lead to substantial harm to or total loss of significance of a designated heritage asset, local planning authorities should refuse consent, unless it can be demonstrated that the substantial harm or loss is necessary to

Appendices 31



achieve substantial public benefits that outweigh that harm or

loss, or all of the following apply: ● the nature of the heritage asset prevents all reasonable

uses of the site; and ● no viable use of the heritage asset itself can be found in

the medium term through appropriate marketing that will enable its conservation; and

● conservation by grant-funding or some form of charitable

or public ownership is demonstrably not possible; and ● the harm or loss is outweighed by the benefit of bringing

the site back into use.

134. Where a development proposal will lead to less than substantial harm to the significance of a designated heritage asset, this harm should be weighed against the

public benefits of the proposal, including securing its optimum viable use.

135. The effect of an application on the significance of a non-

designated heritage asset should be taken into account in determining the application. In weighing applications that

affect directly or indirectly non designated heritage assets, a balanced judgement will be required having regard to the scale of any harm or loss and the significance of the heritage asset.

136. Local planning authorities should not permit loss of the whole

or part of a heritage asset without taking all reasonable steps to ensure the new development will proceed after the loss has

occurred. 137. Local planning authorities should look for opportunities for new

development within Conservation Areas and World Heritage

Sites and within the setting of heritage assets to enhance or better reveal their significance. Proposals that preserve those elements of the setting that make a positive contribution to or

better reveal the significance of the asset should be treated favourably.

138. Not all elements of a World Heritage Site or Conservation Area

will necessarily contribute to its significance. Loss of a building (or other element) which makes a positive contribution to the

significance of the Conservation Area or World Heritage Site should be treated either as substantial harm under paragraph 133 or less than substantial harm under paragraph 134, as appropriate, taking into account the relative significance of the element affected and its contribution to the significance of the Conservation Area or World Heritage Site as a whole.

140. Local planning authorities should assess whether the benefits of a proposal for enabling development, which

would otherwise conflict with planning policies but which would secure the future conservation of a heritage asset, outweigh the disbenefits of departing from those policies.

Appendices 32



That material describing the

proposals and is set out

elsewhere in the application, the

appeal statement and in some

appendices has been omitted

from this extract of the Business

Plan.

Some details of financial

arrangements have not been

included. This extract of the

business plan describes and

confirms the viability of the project.

Appendix N:- Viability, Business Plan and Statement of Need

Extract from the Business Plan for St Mary’s Devizes

Executive summary of the Business Plan The Church of St Mary the Virgin, New Park Street, Devizes, dates

from the Norman times and is of considerable interest architecturally and socio-historically. It is one of the most important buildings in Devizes and the church tower is a dominant landmark in the townscape. Being Grade 1 listed puts it amongst

the top 2.5% of listed buildings in Britain, however it is effectively redundant as a church.

The Parochial Parish Council (PCC) of St John’s with St Mary’s has decided that St Mary’s sister church, St John the Baptist, should hold the principal services for the parish, with the intention that St Mary’s be made available for wider use. Thus while continuing to be a place of worship; it will be able to contribute to the mission of the parish for future generations. This can be achieved if it is

redeveloped as an asset that also provides the community with a flexible event space. This innovative and exciting project aims to change St Mary’s from a building that is normally closed to the public, into a valuable and viable asset with an important role to play in the life of the town. It will become a much used, dynamic environment that will encourage

and support a wide variety of activities: cultural; business, social

and ecclesiastical. The cloister facilities will enhance a flexible performance space with meeting rooms, servicing facilities and fully integrated IT services. The auditorium will accommodate an audience of up to 260 people with the added benefit of raked seating.

The wonderful unspoilt interior with its dramatic west tower arch will once again be open for all to visit at the heart of the town whilst remaining a consecrated space to hold weddings, funerals and christenings as well as regular services.

The innovative redevelopment will achieve a balance between heritage and evolution - a unique place that will help to enhance Devizes’ reputation as the place of choice in middle of Wiltshire to host all types of events.

2.8 Content of the Business Plan

This business plan defines the: Structure of the operating company

Company objectives and the associated management and organisational structure

Services to be offered and examples of potential users

Other event space in the town

Hiring charges for various configurations

Costs of providing these services and a three year profit and loss forecast.

Appendices 33



3 The Basis for Operation

3.1 The Current Financial Situation

The building is currently maintained by the PCC with financial support from the St Mary’s Devizes Poor Lands Charity (Poor Lands)

– Church Branch. The plan is for the maintenance to be carried out by the charitable company St Mary Devizes Trust Ltd (SMDT) with financial help from Poor Lands. The Poor Lands charity has two main purposes: three eighths of the income is used to maintain and run a group of alms-houses in the town and five eighths is used for the upkeep and maintenance of St

Mary’s Church. This business plan includes both the running of the building,

promoting its use as a community space and in the maintenance of the fabric.

3.2 The Objects of the St Mary Devizes Trust -

130204

Company Registration No.: 08188237 incorporated on 22nd August 2012 Registered Charity Number 1151049

The object of the charitable company limited by guarantee is: To further or benefit the residents of Devizes and the neighbourhood, without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, race or of political, religious or other opinions by associating together the said residents and the local authorities, voluntary and other organisations in a common effort to advance education, advance the arts and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for

recreation leisure time occupation with the objective of improving

the conditions of life for the residents. Thus the Trust can encourage arts and cultural events in Devizes and provide space for community events. St Mary’s will continue to provide a place of worship and will be able to contribute to the

mission of the parish for future generations.

3.3 Company Operation

The Freehold of St Mary’s is held by the Rector of the Parish on behalf of the Diocese of Salisbury. There will be no change of ownership of St Mary’s or the churchyard.

The building will be maintained and operated by the St Mary Devizes Trust Ltd; a charitable company. The building will be leased from the Parochial Church Council of St John with St Mary. This company has a Board of Directors (Management Committee)

chosen for their experience, personal skills and standing within the

community. This Board takes responsibility for the actions of the Trust, but - provided they are not negligent - the personal liability of the directors is limited to the extent of their guarantee (£10 each). Care is taken that the business activities of any Director in relation to the charitable company do not cause conflict with the trust conditions.

There will be at least one permanent employee [initially part time but planned to become full time], who will have day-to-day control of the building’s use and invoicing of hire fees.

Appendices 34



One member of the Board of Directors will be appointed Honorary

Treasurer and be responsible for financial reporting to the Board.

4.0 The Service offered

4.1 Unique Selling Points of the Regeneration

The Church of St Mary provides a location of character, one of the few Grade 1 buildings in the area to be available for public use. St Mary will remain licensed for Church of England christenings, marriages and funerals; additionally it will provide on-site catering

facilities. This historic setting offers a memorable venue for a wide variety of

events and special celebrations. Provides moveable raked seating for 90 people, plus level seating

for a further 170 (a Medium Place of Assembly) Offers conference facilities with audio visual equipment, a large meeting area and three break-out rooms Facilities for hot-desking for charities or other organisations administration.

4.2 Why will people use the building?

St Mary’s will offer a unique setting for many events. Among which are baptisms, wedding and funeral services with the advantage that hirers can provide catering for any subsequent social event in the one location. It will complement the existing range of venues in

Devizes by providing a location of character, excellent acoustics,

variable stage and seating layout, together with the support facilities expected by today’s users. The meeting rooms can be hired and used separately even when the event space is in use for many activities. For a large arts event they can be used for dressing rooms, while still allowing the

audience to access toilets and refreshments. The cloister circulation area will provide hanging space for art works on short or long-term basis, The retractable, tiered seating will be provided at reasonable cost to

increase the number of event types that can be supported. Access out of working hours will be by key and alarm system fob. Fobs will be issued only to the authorised representative of those who make the booking.

There will be networked computers available with internet access,

allowing a number of people to work simultaneously. A range of audio-visual equipment will be available to allow business presentations and conferences. The kitchen will be available for the final preparation of food for events that include catering. Normally there would be no charge for its use for tea and coffee.

Devizes is centrally located in Wiltshire; it has plentiful car parking and connecting buses to the key centres of Bath, Swindon, Trowbridge, Melksham, Chippenham and Salisbury.

Appendices 35



4.3 Market Research Carried out

A consultation questionnaire (St Mary QuestionnaireV2.doc F. b.), initiated in spring 2009, was sent to local influencers and organisations that might have an interest in the building as possible users. An assessment was also prepared that looked at the historical and architectural significance of the different parts of the

church. (see Appendix) The results of the consultation were presented to the PCC in the autumn of that year and they agreed that St Mary’s should become a community event space, while continuing to be available for regular worship.

The PCC prepared an architect’s brief based on the requirements of

a community event space, put this brief out for response, shortlisted three architectural practices for more detailed ideas and subsequently awarded the contract to Batterham Matthews Design of Bath. The winning design called for the necessary additional rooms to be contained in a low level semi-circular cloister to the

north of the church, allowing a light touch to be made on the interior of the church building. A well-attended seminar of invited potential users was held in August 2012 to critique the plans. This consultation resulted in a number of minor changes and improvements to the construction plans and fittings list.

4.4 Space Configurations and Potential Users

4.4.1 The office space

The Parish of St John with St Mary will move its administration into

the cloister and the PCC will initially fund 9 hours a week of SMDT’s

administration payroll. The time allocated and associated payment may be increased in line with the tasks allocated to parish administration. The facility will allow the production of longer print run items such as the St John’s with St Mary’s Parish Magazine. This service will also be made available to other churches in the local area.

The office space will also be available for use as hot-desking storage for a charities administration purposes.

4.4.2 The event space

Both the circulation area, the event space and side aisles can be

used for art exhibitions, for example by the Lawrence Society of Arts. This Society currently uses the Corn Exchange and has expressed an interest in using St Mary’s if economically justified. A local quilting group is also interested in an exhibition space.

The building has a reputation for good choral acoustics and local societies such as White Horse Opera, Dauntsey Choral would put on

a number of performances, including a Christmas concert in St Mary’s that uses both the nave, chancel and sanctuary space. It is envisaged a number of local and visiting choirs will utilise the space. The Devizes Junior Eisteddfod, which has been in existence for some 66 years, is always looking for suitable venues for its annual

festival of music, speech, art and literature.

Appendices 36



4.4.3 The raked seating

With the telescopic tiered seating in the church a number of floor plans are available to hirers; these units can be set facing any direction in the nave, providing a unique performance space. Devizes Festival has looked for raised or tiered seating in a

performance space for several years and has expressed interest in using St Mary’s for events such as dance. The popular Wharf Theatre, Devizes, has a full program of performances and is dedicated to theatrical activities, it is constrained by the seating capacity of 96 with limited disabled access. St Mary’s will not be a permanent home to the theatre

group but would be available for one-off productions and rehearsals.

4.4.4 The hire of the event space and the worship space

St Mary’s will remain consecrated and so will continue to be licensed for church weddings. As a parish church it is subject to canon law and parishioners have their usual rights to be married, baptised etc. in church. The ambience, catering facilities and scenic churchyard provide a distinctive setting. Holding the event in a single location with a

choice of hirer’s own catering organisation should prove attractive to many couples. The same principles will apply to baptisms and funerals. There are very limited options in Devizes and the surrounding area

for an economical presentation space with a number of breakout rooms. St Mary’s will provide such a venue.

4.4.5 The hire of the meeting rooms and use of circulation space

With a number of meeting rooms available, including one capable of being configured to different sizes, St Mary’s lends itself to be used for meetings by organisations currently constrained by space. Several local community facing groups have already expressed interest, for example Community First and the Community Foundation have both commented on the value of a larger meeting

space. The Circulation Space is available for art exhibitions either at a cost-per-picture or flat fee basis.

4.4.6 Serviced Charity Accommodation

SMDT will allow churches, charities and like-minded organisations to use the office facilities in a variety of ways, for instance the use of a desk and filing cabinet storage to carry out the business of the charity (also known as “hot-desking”). These office facilities will include a PC workstation and a photocopier with advanced features of collating and stapling for leaflets and

booklets. The initial target market will be the printing of parish magazines. The other churches in Devizes will be invited to join this facility by providing either a job share or contribute to the payment for hours

Appendices 37



worked by the administrator. The object is to have office cover 7½

hours a day, five days a week.

4.5 General Points and Restrictions

The building will not be available for hire and occupancy by the public between the hours of midnight and 7a.m., this to respect quality of the environment of the neighbours. There will be no

restrictions on hours of use by the parish for church activities. The hire of a space will include the use of tables and chairs as reasonably required. Any licence for the sale of alcohol must be obtained by the hirer.

5.0 The Market in Community Event Spaces

5.1 Competition for Community Spaces in Devizes

A wide ranging consultation was carried out in 2009 to establish the views of the community on the future of St Mary’s church. The conclusion was that it should become a community event space and serviced accommodation for charities and like-minded organisations. Further consultation with potential users took place in 2012 as the detailed plans were discussed.

The alternatives to St Mary’s in terms of cost, ambience and facility is given below

5.2 Existing Community Spaces in Devizes

5.2.1 Spaces with similar functionality to St

Mary’s

5.2.1.1 Devizes Town Council Corn Exchange rates for

Venue Capacity Size Half day

Mon-Fri Whole day weekend

Ceres Hall 400 for seated events

Hall 265 SqM Stage 51 SqM (5.5m by 9.4m)

£121 £503

Wessex Room 130 theatre style

13.7m by 8.5m stage 5.2m x 6.4m

£121 £442

Yeoman Room

40 theatre style

7.6m by 6.7m £95

Merchant’s Suite

150 seated Stage 7.6m by 3.4m, dance floor and bar

£148

The Ceres Hall incorporates a stage area and the venue’s kitchen area suitable for final preparation of food and drink. The acoustics of this hall and low ceiling inhibit some choral performances. The stage can only be accessed from the hall floor and not directly from the dressing rooms. The Wessex room and Yeoman rooms are on the first floor. The Merchant’s Suite is designed as for night club

type activities.

Appendices 38



5.2.1.2 Devizes Town Council Town Hall

Venue Capacity Size Half day Mon-Fri

Evening

Assembly Room

150 seated 15.5m by 9.1m

£59 £141

Cheese Hall 130 non seated

7.7m by 11.9m

£47 £62

The Town Hall is also a venue of character, but with smaller seating capacity than St Mary’s

5.2.1.3 Friends Meeting House

Devizes Quakers; Sussex Wharf; The Nursery; Devizes, SN10 2AE 01380 722560

Modern facilities for small groups, MEETING ROOM - Octagonal room with 50 upholstered chairs and circular table. Privacy blinds and heavy duty curtains for black-out

conditions. Hearing aid loop system. MARSDEN ROOM - A smaller rectangular room with folding chairs. It can be fully closed off from or adjoin a small lobby and is convenient for the kitchen.

5.2.2 Other spaces in Devizes

Alzheimer’s Support Centre, Sidmouth Street, Devizes. First floor boardroom style meeting place and day room with armchairs. Day rate £50, ½ day rate £30. Used as a Support centre during the week Wiltshire Council, Shambles Market Hall The Shambles, 150 seated at tables – Wiltshire Council. Currently used all day Sunday,

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday for market stalls. Available

for some evenings, sloping uneven stone flagged floor, no kitchen, heating by wall mounted burners. Costs about £70 to hire for one session, Devizes Bowls Club, Long Street (01380) 724280: rectangular

area with bar catering for 80 seated, typical cost £165 for an evening dinner, used by the Bowls Club members. Not suitable for arts performances Devizes Sports Club London Road, Devizes, SN10 2DL 01380 729652 Large function room with bar, catering for 120 (sit down). Large outdoor terraced area over-looking cricket ground. Costs £75

per session, morning, afternoon or evening,. Bar is shared with the Club’s members. Devizes & District Disabled Centre/ Nursteed Centre, Nursteed Road, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 3AF 01380 726420

Two halls capacity approx.. 60 and 80. Basic functional space, low ceiling, used by specialist clubs most weekdays.

Cost per session from 1st April 2013 (9am - 1pm, 1pm -5pm & 7pm onwards) as follows:- Disabled Rate Non-disabled rate Main Hall £36 £60 Approx. 40% discount Extension £25 £40 Both £65 £100

Extra hours main hall £8 £15 Extra hours extension £6 £10 Flip Chart equipment £2; Overhead projector £5; TV/DVD £5. For a private party £100, child’s party £50

Appendices 39



Palace Cinema Contains a bingo hall and a successful traditional

cinema, the latter with some 250 seats in tiered arrangement. The bingo hall contains a bar, fruit machines and tables and chairs. Both are functioning enterprises, the cinema having a new lease of life with the growing business of streaming live theatre performances. The cinema is very active, with digital projection and sound systems. It shows a wide range of films for all ages. There is little possibility of the Cinema or bingo hall being used for anything

new. St. Johns Church Parish Rooms, Long Street. Classic small church hall, to be run in conjunction with St Mary’s. Hall £10 per hour, 10% discount for 3 or more booking in 3 months; £15 charge for use of Kitchen. £1 hour for Wi-Fi access.

[Data on Car Parks omitted]

6 Finance

6.4 running costs The trustees of The Church of St Mary and Poor Lands, Church Branch are the Rector and Churchwardens. They believe that there are currently sufficient funds to both maintain the fabric of the

building and make a significant contribution to the cost of developing the building to support its proposed future use as approved by the PCC. However the project will require additional resources to support the proposed use buy the wider community. The graphs shown below shows that the parish will provide about

60% of the running costs.

The average maintenance costs for S Mary Devizes since 2005 are

£20,000 per year. This is in addition to the running costs such as insurance, heating and cleaning. The Poor Lands have demonstrated that they have sufficient investments to provide for both running costs and maintenance costs as they have done this and built up a substantial reserve.

6.5 Three year objectives Year 1 target by year-end is to achieve the budgeted level of

room bookings and to achieve 12 hours a week of paid-for administration from the parish of St John with St Mary. With a contribution from other charities by month 7.

£0

£50,000

£100,000

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Tota

l Co

sts

Running Costs - breakdown

SMDT Activities expeople costs

SMDT People Costs

PCC supplied peopleCosts

Building running &Maintenance

Appendices 40



Year 2 target by year-end is to increase the bookings income

by 23% of year 1 value and to achieve 18 hours a week of paid-for administration.

Year 3 target by year-end is to increase the bookings by a further 10% of year 2 value and to achieve 25 hours a week of paid-for administration.

6.6 Financial forecast Budget income is spread evenly over the year. It is likely that the conference type hirings will be concentrated into the classic school term times, while concerts and plays will include a weekend.

6.7 Turnover and profit/loss expected in first 3 years

This assumes that the starting capital for fittings is raised from

other sources or donations in kind.

Summary income expenditure and cash flow analysis

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

£ £ £

Poor Lands / PCC contribution 39,470 39,470 39,470

Rental income 14,192 29,815 33,270

Event Income 3,850 4,428 5,092

Admin income 9,246 18,788 25,232

Total Income 66,758 92,501 103,063

Administrator cost (16,499) (23,531) (29,301)

Running Expense (62,890) (62,890) (62,890)

Operating Costs (79,389) (86,421) (92,191)

Cost of capital 0 0 0

Cost of overdraft (640) (858) (269)

Financing Costs (640) (858) (269)

Cash flow in year (13,270) 5,221 10,603

Annual replacement provisions

SMDT Capital items from Costs w orkbook (9,000) (9,000) (9,000)

Net income/(expenditure) in year (22,270) (3,779) 1,603

Overdraft balance - end of year (13,270) (8,049) 2,554

Capital balance - end of year 0 0 0

Cumulative income/(expenditure) (22,270) (26,049) (24,446)

Cumulative replacement provisions

SMDT Capital items (9,000) (18,000) (27,000)

Maximum overdraft St M (13,270)

Running costs Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Building running & Maintenance £39,470 £39,470 £39,470

PCC supplied people Costs £7,488 £7,488 £7,488

SMDT People Costs £9,011 £16,043 £21,813

SMDT Activities ex people costs £23,420 £23,420 £23,420

total £79,389 £86,421 £92,191

Appendices 41



6.8 Capital estimated for building and refurbishment Item Cost

Churchyard excavations, recording and

storage of remains

£8,500

Furniture and Fittings £92,500 Building of Cloister £701,000 Refurbishment of interior £307,000 Professional fees, surveys and applications £165,000 Project Management and Fund Raising costs until July 2014

£57,000

Total £1,331,000.00 . 6.9 Capital required for furniture The following gives a list of the capital items of furniture

identified so far for the auditorium space and the offices. It also

shows the depreciation figures

Forecast break-even analysis Current break-even analysis shows a turn to profitable trading in month 13 (orange graph below) and a positive cash flow in month 25 (blue graph below). This is largely dependent on labour costs and the achievement of revenue targets.

6.10 Reserve Policy

The reserves of the St Mary Devizes Charity Trust Ltd are considered in relation to the maximum indebtedness that it might incur in one year, which is one year’s maintenance and one year’s running cost. This reserve will be built up in years 3 to 5 and is

taken to be the first year’s operating cost at £ (70,389)

6.12 Building Maintenance The church and cloister will be maintained by SMDT under the

direction of the PCC. The Poor Lands Charity will grant monies to SMDT to fund this work. The maintenance history is given in Error! Reference source not found.

6.11 Worst Case Analysis

There are two cases to consider, reduced trading and cessation of trading. The worst case is really a significantly reduced hiring income, in which case saving would have to be made in the running costs of the event space. As the caretaker and promotion budget account

Capital ItemsCapital cost Life in

years

Annual

Depreciation

Supplied as part of build costs £

Office equipment: PCs 1,800 3 @ £600 4 450

Digital Projectors 3,000 6 500

Moveable Staging 7,500 3 @ £2,500 3m by 4m heavy duty staging packages 12 625

Stage Lighting 15,000 30 @ £500 12 1,250

Stage Sound equipment 5,000 1 @ £5,000 12 417

Admin furniture 5,000 12 417

Filing cabinets 800 4 @ £200 12 67

Telephones 300 10 @ £30 8 38

Meeting Room seats 3,000 40 @ £75 10 300

Meeting Room Tables 600 5 @ £120 16 38

Ground Level seats 17,000 170 @ £100 12 1,417

Retractable seating 31,500 90 @ £350 10 3,150

Internal PA and video equipment 2,000 6 333

Contribution from Fund raising (92,500)

Start Capital £0 Cost of finance Capital 7.5% Overdraft 7.5% £9,000

Appendices 42



for 70% of the running cost and these items are related to the

amount of use, then the saving would start here. If there was no possibility of hiring income or revenue from additional administration functions, the church would revert to care and maintenance only. The SMDT would remain in existence but with significantly reduced activity as it would have no home or purpose. The administrator might move to other accommodation

within the town. The caretaker would no longer be required, heating would be “as required” and maintenance contracts would be cancelled. The remaining costs would be borne by the Poor Lands Charity Church Branch. There would be no residual debt. In the event that the St Mary’s Future project fails to go ahead as currently planned, then the funds will go towards the objectives of

the St Mary Devizes Trust. The Parochial Church Council would then consider an application to make the building redundant. The section on Promotion and Appendices omitted

Appendices 43



Statement of Need

Basic Facts Parish St John’s and St Mary’s

Dedication St Mary

Benefice Devizes St John and St Mary

Diocese Salisbury

Address New Park Street, Devizes SN10 1DS

Grid Ref 400557 161585 SU 005 615

Local Planning Authority Wiltshire Council

County Wiltshire

Statutory Listing of church LB_Ref 003A/160 Grade 1 HBR_Ref 022/301

Statutory designation for structures and objects within the churchyard

LB_Ref 003A/160A Grade II HBR_Ref 022/300 Gates and Railing at St Mary's Church LB_Ref 003A/160B Grade II HBR_Ref 022/303 Main Entrance Gates to St Mary's Church

Conservation Area Church and churchyard lie at the edge of a Conservation Area

Scheduled Monument No

Protected Species None

Tree Preservation Orders A Group TPO exist. None for individual trees

County Wildlife Site (or SSSI) Churchyard is not designated a Local Nature Reserve

Any other designations None

General Information

Devizes serves as the commercial and cultural centre of a Community Area with a resident population of 32,090 (Wiltshire Council, Devizes Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2011).

The Parish of St John’s and St Mary’s has an electoral role of 202. However St Mary’s has one service a week with average attendance of six including the celebrant. The church is normally kept locked.

Very occasional exhibitions, concerts; recitals and funerals were held in the church until the concept of adapting the church into a community event space took hold in the town. Now a program of events has been created in order to demonstrate the need of such a space and to show the need and level of support from the community.

The St Mary’s Church and Poor Lands Charity 201342 – Church Branch is currently providing the funding to maintain the fabric of the building.

The parish is seeking funds to carry out the proposed works. The St Mary’s Church and Poor Lands Charity – Church Branch have promised £250,000 for the project, now estimated at £1.3M.

The last Quinquennial report was prepared in 2010. All the maintenance issues identified in the report have been addressed; more information is given below in paragraph2.4.

Appendices 44



Contents

Statement of Need ..................................................................................................... 43

1 What do you need? ................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

1.1 A Listed Building for Modern use ................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

1.2 How to achieve this new purpose ............... Error! Bookmark not defined.

1.3 Utilities required and access ....................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

1.4 Other Considerations of Need ..................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

1.5 Current State of St Mary, Devizes ............... Error! Bookmark not defined.

2 Why do you need it? .............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

2.1 Mission based approach to building development plansError! Bookmark not defined.

2.2 Venue for activities and events ................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

2.3 Financial Impact and Arrangements ............ Error! Bookmark not defined.

3 Why do you need it now? ...................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

4 What is the evidence for the need? ....................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

4.1 Consultation undertaken by the PCC .......... Error! Bookmark not defined.

4.2 Overall response to the 2009 public consultationError! Bookmark not defined.

4.3 Comments on use as a Drop-In-Centre ....... Error! Bookmark not defined.

4.4 Consolidation of answers to questions askedError! Bookmark not defined.

4.5 Subsequent Public Feedback ....................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

4.6 Contact with the public ............................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

4.7 Business Plan ............................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

5 Environmental sustainability ................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

5.1 Reduced Carbon Footprint of the DevelopmentError! Bookmark not defined.

5.2 Energy use ................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

5.3 Materials ..................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

5.4 Benchmarks ................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

5.5 Flora and fauna in the churchyard. ............. Error! Bookmark not defined.

5.6 How the proposal influences the way people use the building ......... Error! Bookmark not defined.

5.7 Long term environmental strategy .............. Error! Bookmark not defined.

6 Other development options considered ................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

6.1 Fundamental Considerations ...................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

6.2 Internal versus an external solution ............ Error! Bookmark not defined.

6.3 Other external build options ....................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

7 Sources used for the Statements of Need and SignificanceError! Bookmark not defined.

Appendices 45



1 What do you need? 2 A Listed Building for Modern use To ensure this Grade 1 listed building remains in use as an asset to the area, brings benefit to the mission of the parish and is made available for both Devizes area residents and visitors, a team has been set up to put in place all the organisational and legal structures necessary and to take the planning and approvals process forward. St Mary’s no longer has a use, in addition to St John’s, by the PCC as a Parish Church. It is effectively redundant, Devizes being over-churched already. If plans for development of St Mary’s are not approved, then the PCC would have no other option than to re-apply for redundancy. It is well known that a closed building is a decaying building. 2.1 How to achieve this new purpose The aim is for St Mary’s to remain a church, open to the public, with an expanded remit of acting as a cultural focus for Devizes and the community area, therefore attracting visitors to the town. The building to be made available for wider public use, with the nave having a seated capacity of about 260 people, defined as a ‘Medium Place of Assembly’. This facility can be created through the construction of a modern semi-circular cloister in the churchyard to the north of the church, linking through the west end tower and through the existing vestry door at the east end.

A new vestry allowing vestments and papers to be securely stored.

A minimum of three flexibly partitioned meeting rooms in the cloister, each to accommodate between 15-25 people seated, will allow for multiple uses including dressing rooms and rest rooms for performers.

An administration office / booking office area to accommodate a parish office and office accommodation for other charities, together with the necessary storage facilities

Kitchen facilities and a servery for final preparation and serving of food and refreshments.

Toilets, including facilities for disabled

An architecturally exciting building complex to encourage imagination and creativity

An open and welcoming aspect from the town.

2.2 Utilities required and access New mains services: three phase electricity, sewage and broadband telephony. Mains water is now available in the underground boiler room. Heating from renewable sources Main entrance to be via the West door whilst retaining access through the South porch and doorway Provide suitable lighting for the access paths and entrances. Step-free access from the road suitable for use by wheel chairs. 2.3 Other Considerations of Need The existing look and feel of the interior of this Grade 1 listed building has to be retained or enhanced with minimal interference in the fabric and any changes to be reversible. They must leave an uncluttered interior preserving the light from the existing windows. To ensure minimal interference with the fabric, new services must be placed in

an external building. The design must allow St Mary's to be continued to be seen as part of the townscape as it has for hundreds of years (apart from the addition of the modern four story Chantry Court) and that does not interfere with the best, and usually seen, views of the church from the churchyard and the public roads.

Single story construction with level access joining at two points, at the east and west ends of the church. This is the lightest touch on the building. Such a

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construction provides ease of access, a circulation space and exhibition space, while continuing to allow good views of the north side.

An exciting design that will appeal to the people of Devizes; grant making bodies and individuals

Two proper entrance/exits to the church for practicality and fire safety. The axial integrity of the nave to be maintained as requested by the Church

Building Council. The sanctuary and chancel to be reordered as worship space that can be used

independently of the nave, and the font to be moved to this worship space. Victorian pews to be removed from the nave and aisles, these have little

historical significance. An easily maintainable, suspended semi-sprung floor suitable for performance,

including dancing. Access for vehicles to deliver and collect from the building Organ to be retained within the church because it was built by Sweetland, a

Devizes-born organ builder, specifically for St Mary’s. Fixed wall memorials [7 off] to be kept in situ. The interior floor memorials /

ledger stones [26 off] currently used as aisle paving slabs to be relocated to the cloister or east end alongside those at the chancel steps and a number to be placed along the walls.

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and relevant fire regulations have been considered in the plans.

A trenching survey has been carried out to establish the expected number of buried remains that would be encountered. All burial will be recorded, stored as individuals and then re-interred below the cloister or garth. Thus being re-interred close to their original location. A scheme of works2 has been agreed by Wiltshire Council and the DAC has indicated that they concur with the provisions.

2.4 Current State of St Mary, Devizes The PCC remains fully responsible in its obligation to maintain the Church structure in good order while the cloister project goes forward. The following works have been carried out to St Mary's Church within the last fourteen years, paid for by the St Mary Church and Poor Lands Charity, Church Branch: Stone work repairs to Tower and South Porch including conservation of South

Porch doorway. General repairs to roofs, rainwater goods and stonework. Repairs and redecoration of rainwater goods. Renewal of Vestry floor. Relaying of the Nave roof South slope in lead and repair to North Nave roof

parapet gutter. Internal timber repairs to Nave roof structure. Fitting of protective window guards. Re-leading of Chancel North window. Replacement of oil fired boiler with new gas boiler and incoming gas supply. Relaying of the Chancel stone tiled roof. Repairs to the south aisle walls

3 Why do you need it? 3.1 Mission based approach to building development plans The Parochial Church Council (PCC) and congregations of the Parish of Devizes, St John with St Mary have responsibility for the maintenance and use of three parish buildings, St John’s Church, St Mary’s Church and the Parish Rooms situated alongside St John’s Church. Following a Parish Away Day in October 2008 which developed the parish mission plan, it was decided to address the opportunities and challenges of these buildings

2 Written Scheme of Investigations for Mitigatory Archaeological Works April

2012 ref 3537-2

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together, as part of that plan, rather than simply as individual building projects without any reference to our overall mission strategy. The Church of England’s stated mission is “A Christian presence in every community”. Our mission statement, in the parish of Devizes, St John with St Mary, exhibiting that Christian presence in this community, is: “to be a community growing in love, faith and service; reflecting the love and faithfulness of God towards us.” The Church’s Creed points to God’s saving purpose and activity within the universe through the person of Jesus Christ and our sense of mission flows from our understanding of God’s mission in terms of that Creed.

“We believe” “Through him all things were made”

The Creed speaks of Christ’s part in Creation - The whole world is God’s world and a false distinction is often made between the sacred and secular. As Christ’s Church we recognise not just a Gospel injunction to proclaim Christ Jesus in the world but also the more fundamental belief that this is God’s creation and that whatever people believe (or do not believe for that matter) we share a common humanity and that we have a duty and responsibility for the integrity of the whole of creation. “He was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary” The Incarnation provides an imperative to serve the whole community not just needs of the church’s congregation. Incarnation is about getting alongside the needs of the community, especially the poor and marginalised as Christ came among us as one of us. It is about leaving the “place of safety” and becoming vulnerable, like him. It is also about sharing the joys and celebrations of life: sharing in the gladness as well as feeling for the sadness to paraphrase the words of the Christmas Carol “Once in Royal David’s City” written to illustrate this incarnational aspect of the Creed. The idea of incarnation means that we take seriously Jesus’ life and teaching, his earthly example, into account in our understanding of mission as well as his death and resurrection which the Creed goes on to express. “For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven” Christ’s death is clearly linked in scripture with the Passover feast and the Jewish understanding of the freedom God brings in the Exodus story of liberation from slavery in Egypt of the people of Israel. Christ’s death, seen in terms of the Jewish sacrificial cult, is the ultimate Passover sacrifice. Here it is offered not just for one household, but offered once and for all, that death might pass over us all and that all can find a new Exodus and freedom in him. Christ’s Resurrection is a sign of that liberation from death and hope for all people. Together with the Ascension (and associated with the Ascension both the sending of the Holy Spirit and Christ’s return in Judgement) it proclaims Christ’s triumphant defeat of chaos and death, begun in creation, and speaks of an ultimate destiny for creation beyond just this physical world and of a spiritual dimension to all of life, in this world and the next.

To all of this the Church of God bears witness. “We believe in One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church”

Within the life of the Church, its fellowship, worship, witness and service Christ’s saving work is continued. The proclamation of the Gospel is ensured through the Church’s stewardship and teaching of the scriptures and through its sacramental ministry. The Church’s part in this theological understanding of God’s being and action within creation, the Mission Dei, has been expressed in terms of the Five Marks of Mission: Tell (To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom), Teach (To teach, baptise and

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nurture new believers),Tend (To respond to human need by loving service), Transform (To seek to transform the unjust structures of society), Treasure (To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth). In St Mary’s case there is a particular concern for the building’s place in environmental, historical and cultural context in the local community. The PCC sees that it can meet a variety of needs within the town of Devizes, the Deanery and beyond, in the way in which these buildings are developed. In particular there is need for a community meeting and assembly space for medium to large size gatherings of 200-250 people. In Nov 2008 the PCC invited Revd Andrew Mottram of Ecclesiastical Property Solutions to come and spend a day to help us consider the way forward in the development of our parish buildings. The PCC envisages the two Parish Churches continuing to serve the parish and wider needs of the Church in contrasting but complementary ways. One, St Mary’s, as a church which is developed primarily for mixed community use suitable for medium to large gatherings, and smaller groups, as well as continuing to be a place of worship for the parish The other, St John’s, as a Church which is developed primarily as a place of worship both for parish use and for the wider civic role in town and county that it has long fulfilled. The Parish Rooms have since been enhanced and renovated to provide ancillary facilities for St John’s Church with modernised catering facilities for small to medium group use, together with new toilets and shower unit for use by a charity for the homeless. 3.2 Venue for activities and events The new cloister, with its two to three meeting rooms, allows the church to be a flexible venue for a wide variety of community activities. These can vary from exhibitions to orchestral concerts, from weddings to dance workshops, where the additional spaces provide break-out facilities and “green rooms” for performers during events. The moveable raked seating will provide a unique facility within the town and cater for a wide varied of performance arts; thus providing a unique selling feature for the venue. The new flooring will facilitate dance, keep fit and similar activities. 3.3 Financial Impact and Arrangements A new charitable company, St Mary Devizes Trust (SMDT) has been created and will maintain the church under a lease agreement with the Parochial Church Council. The structural element of the running costs will be provided through funds, supplied by the St Mary’s Church and Poor Lands Charity – Church Branch, to a Restricted Fund with SMDT. Poor Lands has also agreed to provide an additional £250,000 towards the cost of the development. The PCC expects the new uses of St Mary’s to be self-supporting in about two to three years, dependent on initial funding arrangements. The new cloister will have low maintenance and running costs compared with the existing structure and it has been agreed that it will be maintained and run with help from the Poor Lands Charity. The largest expense in running the new facility will be staff costs and it is planned to offer office accommodation to other charities to provide income. SMDT will encourage volunteer opportunities, the ability to attract volunteers, especially in the development of an arts program, has been demonstrated by the enthusiasm of the supporters of the project as the current program of events is expanded. This work will contribute to the financial viability of the scheme.

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A Marketing and Business Plan has been prepared for the PCC and is being updated as the project progresses. This details the cash flow for the first three years of operation. 4 Why do you need it now? St Mary’s has no viable congregation, yet it is a very significant building in the town. If the PCC did nothing then the building would remain locked and unavailable for most of the time. The PCC would be forced to consider applying to make it redundant: if no decision is made then it would stay as an unused and unknown asset of the parish. Such unused buildings inevitably deteriorate and are forgotten. In 2006 the Parochial Church Council applied to have St Mary’s declared redundant. The two churches in the parish were formally recombined as attendance at St Mary’s had fallen significantly and it was no longer needed for regular worship. A letter (RDT/TB/4230) dated 2nd February 2006 from RD Trahair, Property Secretary, Diocese of Salisbury pointed out that the Church Commissioners would push the Diocese to seek alternative use, such as community use as an exhibition hall, museum, concert hall, theatre etc. A use would have to be found that left the exterior unaltered…. It is also likely that the authorities would require minimum internal changes. It is worth noting that this letter predicates against fitting the required new facilities of toilets and offices within the nave and chancel. A further letter dated 21st June 2006 (RDT/LC/5375) noted that RD Trahair was greatly relieved that there will be positive local support and commitment to help try and cultivate a body of local people willing to take on the building for a community project. This has now been demonstrated by the wide ranging and active support of many people of the town at public meetings, at events organised by SMDT and by attendance at the Planning Committee meeting, where Wiltshire Councillors narrowly rejected plans by a majority of 4:3 The Redundant Churches Division wrote in January 2007 (RC34/112 A M G Browning) that “Whilst the board considered the church to be of sufficient overall merit vesting in the Churches Conservation Trust, it is agreed that there was enough flexibility in the contents to support a use requiring a large and ostensibly undivided space. The Board’s advice on the management of change is set out in the enclosed “Options and Impact Appraisal” which addresses the principal options and draws provisional conclusions as to their impacts.” The Pastoral and Redundant Churches Secretary wrote on 20 June 2007 (NB34/112/RA) “That other ecclesiastical avenues for the future of St Mary looking beyond the parish should be more fully explored before the diocese considered closing such a building for Christian worship.” The PCC has taken note of these suggestions and set up a St Mary’s Future Group to undertake the necessary research and project management. The above attachments can be seen in the Statement of Significance which accompanies this Statement of Need. This application was formally withdrawn in November 2009 (NB34/112B/RA) by notice from Rex Andrew of the Church Commissioners. Two factors led to this decision: firstly St Mary’s was used as the parish church after the fire which badly damaged the interior of St John’s and secondly a public consultation had demonstrated local support for a Community Event space and serviced charity accommodation. If the development proposed is rejected then the building will be without a purposeful use and the PCC will again consider petitioning for it to be made redundant.

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Devizes and its Community Area has been and continues to be the focus for a large increase in new housing and consequent increase in population. In 2011 this stood at 32,090 The core strategy manager at Wiltshire Council has said that in 2009 the council proposed that 2,400 new homes be built in the Devizes area by 2026. By April 2011 some 1,639 homes have either been built or received planning permission and a further 136 homes could result from brown-field site development. It was also said that in order to support employment growth up to 1,000 more homes could be built in the area and it was noted that in the last ten years more homes had been built in the Devizes area than Chippenham or Salisbury and that the Census of 2001 showed 57 per cent of Devizes residents work in the town. 5 What is the evidence for the need? 5.1 Consultation undertaken by the PCC A public meeting was called in May 2008 following the PCC vote to involve the local community in determining a viable future use for St Mary’s. This was one of a number of meetings to examine the options and identify actions. Following the recommendations of Ecclesiastical Property Solutions Ltd an opinion survey was undertaken, which involved canvassing the views of local experts and influencers on what might be accomplished with the building to give it a new purpose. This survey started in May 2009 and a final report was given to the PCC in the autumn. The survey put up two concepts:

St Mary’s as a ‘Medium Place of Assembly’ with a maximum capacity about 250 persons seated, for use as an arts, sports, social and meeting place.

St Mary’s as a drop-in centre and serviced offices with small meeting rooms and storage space for charitable organisations.

Following this study, whose details are given below, the PCC decided to proceed with the idea of community use with serviced accommodation for charities. It determined that there would be a number of Unique Selling Points of the venue when compared with others in the town:

A community event space for 200 to 250 people, with raked seating available.

A meeting venue with breakout rooms Serviced accommodation for charities reinforced by the provision of

modern information technology services, such as broadband access, computers and projectors.

As the project has progressed more public meetings have been held to both inform and to receive and incorporate feedback on ideas. 5.2 Overall response to the 2009 public consultation Out of 49 organisations contacted, 22 replies were received with comments. These responses are detailed in 4.4 below. The preferences of those who responded were predictable according to their function; if they were arts then community space; if they were a charity then charity function. No other Great Idea For a new Use came from the responders. Most thought the concepts were well thought through and several produced very useful additions to the detail and requests for additional information in for the next Phase. It is considered that an opportunity exists for the provision of a Community Event Space with a capacity of around 200+ with raked seating. Only two organisations responded with actual ideas of charity use. One, the use by a charity for the homeless, has been accommodated within the St John’s Parish Rooms. The other was primarily storage and that would not meet other criteria for a new use of the building. It should be added that neither organisation followed up its

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initial interest. No other potential users have been suggested or identified through the process. This continues to be the case by 2014. One voluntary organisation said: “St Mary’s is an ideal place to develop a community resource. It was our view that a Community Event Space was more important than a Drop-In Centre. However we felt that if there is potential to develop small office spaces, these could be used as offices for charities where only one to at most two staff need a base in the town.” Another specifically mentioned the need for flexible meeting room space with modern facilities. 5.3 Comments on use as a Drop-In-Centre If used as a drop-in centre then it follows that the building is likely to be open seven days a week from early in the morning until evening for distribution of food, showering, washing clothes, help with advice & guidance or job search. This would preclude using the building as a venue for exhibitions, weddings or funerals. It was noted that St Mary’s is also much larger than required for a drop in centre. Subsequent to the questionnaire, the Parish Rooms have been upgraded with a new kitchen, washing and showering facilities. It hosts the organisation Devizes Open Door, which uses the Rooms three days a week for the homeless, sofa surfers and the vulnerable. 5.4 Consolidation of answers to questions asked Do you think St. Mary's is perceived as a well-known and accessible building in the town?

About half of those who replied felt it was. Some felt it was the least well known church in Devizes, probably due to its structure being largely masked by surrounding buildings, but its central position made it accessible and would be improved by making it more open to the street.

What are your thoughts on the concepts as described? Pros Healthy competition for other venues Good size for medium size gatherings Drop-in centre would be a welcome addition to current facilities Well considered options Cons Concern about competing with existing facilities, some of which are considered

costly to hire and have other restrictions such as already contracted in-house catering and existing regular bookings.

Limited parking Internal partitioning of chancel and sanctuary from the nave.

Which concept do you think best lends itself to the building? Approximately 50% favoured an event space, 25% charity and 25% dual use. Overall 75% were in favour of community use.

What do you think is missing from these concepts, what would you like to add? The costing to users Vehicular access would be ideal Reception/lobby space, particularly relevant for community events where

tickets are checked, cloakroom, raffles displayed etc. Consider a purpose built entrance extension between the west door and New Park Street for this facility

Retractable rather than stackable seating would be both safer and more space efficient.

Artist’s impression of possible look

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What do you think would not be required in these concepts? Nothing specified.

What gaps, features or facilities are currently lacking in the available community

event spaces in Devizes? Demand means events/organisations cannot always be accommodated in a

suitable, existing town venue. Places which are big enough to hold meetings for 200 or more people. There

are bigger venues but they tend to be so big they lack any kind of atmosphere. There is definitely a need for more such spaces with good facilities of seating,

sound, light, etc. so this would provide an important additional facility. Drop-in-centres and venues for charities etc (This has been addressed by the

Parish Rooms refurbishment – see above). Concert hall There are a number of limited facility buildings already in Devizes which lack

modern facilities; there is also a lack of serviced charity accommodation (offices used part-time by small organisations).

Event spaces in Devizes at hire charges considerably less than the current Town Hall or Corn Exchange prices.

Event spaces with purpose-designed lighting and projection, apart from the Wharf Theatre’s.

Dinner locations (apart from hotels & restaurants) with immediately adjacent kitchens.

The main gap in provision of performance venues is around the 200+ mark and particularly a venue with tiered seating. Only the Cinema and Wharf Theatre have tiered seating but they are limited in other ways. Both the Pound Centre at Corsham and the Town Hall Studio in Swindon have telescopic tiered seating which allows the seating to be pushed back to give a clear floor space for other uses. Which concept would you like to see implemented? See answer answers above.

Can you envisage a different use for the building? Mostly no, but an Arts Centre was mentioned as one possible alternative

Should St. Mary's become a home for charitable organisations or a focus for

happenings in the town? No clear answer Which concept do you consider best meets the aims of the PCC? Few people felt able to answer the question, but 2 said event space and 3 cited

a drop-in centre. What advantages / disadvantages do you see in the fitting of a modern floor over

the existing stone flooring? All agreed it would be necessary and more practical to have modern flooring. What about the ambience, acoustics and usability of the space? Need to remove ‘church-like’ atmosphere Good acoustics for singing. Modernising the facilities should preserve the historic ambience of the space. Current ambience fine. Acoustics need improving (for public speaking). What do you think of constructing a gallery office space above the south aisle? Generally agreed it could provide useful additional space. How would you draught proof the area under the tower. No helpful answers! Is gas useful for cooking or should it be electricity? Gas.

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Do you consider the office support hours described are adequate? Yes – with website reference and contact number. As direct vehicle access to the doors of the church is very difficult, what solutions

could you envisage? Consider re-landscaping the churchyard to provide a graded access from the

adjacent streets. Adequate parking is available at the west central car park and the nearby

pedestrian crossing provides safe passage to the church. Make approach as user friendly as possible, provide equipment for carrying

larger items ie trolley, sack trucks etc. Make a vehicle access from a new gate and drive from the north corner of the churchyard.

Unloading spaces at the NW corner of the Church suitable for large minibus, medium van – suitable for unloading stores, equipment and perhaps disabled visitors.

Level pathway from unloading to the West Door, suitable for a flat-bed trolley or similar (supplied by St Mary’s for the use of hirers).

(Question on a drop-in centre – now not relevant) What sort of lighting would enhance the uses given? No helpful suggestions. What size meeting rooms do you think work best? Would need to be a mix of sizes – with partitions so the spaces can be modified

as appropriate.

5.5 Subsequent Public Feedback The cloister proposal has been presented to the congregation and the wider town and has been enthusiastically received by residents who have a long attachment to the church. Wider publicity through photographs and articles in the local paper, the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald, produced significant public support and no adverse reaction. A prospective future users seminar was held on 23 August 2012 at which the plans were presented and useful criticism obtained from the 50 or so attendees, all representing local organisations. They were keen on seeing a larger stage space and an increased provision of toilets so that excessive waiting was avoided between performances. The attendee list provided the basis for our mailing list, currently standing at over 150 people. 5.6 Contact with the public A website www.stmarydevizes.org.uk has been built and is constantly being enhanced. Together with a mailing utility, it allows information to be sent to our list of supporters and to be made available to the general public. Bulletins are issued whenever there is news to impart or events to be supported. 5.7 Business Plan A Business Plan has been drawn up, based on the starting architectural concept and taking account of the Poor Lands Charity contribution to running costs. It is thought that the underlying assumptions are conservative. 6 Environmental sustainability 6.1 Reduced Carbon Footprint of the Development Re-ordering the existing church to provide a large space for community activities in Devizes for 200-250 people keeps the building in active use. Taken together with the design for a new energy efficient curved cloister within the churchyard, it means the development will have a strong sustainability agenda, saving substantial costs in energy and resources compared with creating a new stand-alone community building.

http://www.stmarydevizes.org.uk/

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6.2 Energy use The existing church has a wet radiator heating system working with a gas fired boiler in the basement. All the windows are singly glazed and there is no insulation in the walls or roof, so the heat loss is considerable. Because it is a radiator system the whole air has be warmed in order to have a reasonably comfortable temperature at the ground level within the church. As part of the remodelling, a ground source heat pump will be incorporated using a bore hole which will distribute warm water through a new under-floor heating system. This heats up the area where the people are, at ground level, and so does not waste energy heating up huge volumes of the air above.

6.3 Materials The new building will be highly insulated with Rockwool Diffutherm (Green Guide rating: A) which is a timber based product using wood-fibre boards, which are over 95% waste. The walls are all in timber construction which embodies carbon. There are no showers in the building and there is a relatively small demand for water, only for toilets and washing up in the catering areas. Low flow taps are used to keep the use of water down to a minimum.

6.4 Benchmarks The new cloister will be designed to BREEAM, which has become the standard for best practice in sustainable building design, construction and operation. It has become one of the most comprehensive and widely recognised measures of a building's environmental performance. 6.5 Flora and fauna in the churchyard.

Whilst the new building is built within the churchyard, the new roof will have a Sedum covering to encourage both flora and fauna to be re-established in the same area as that of the new building. This also has the added benefit of slowing down the water run-off from the roof and reducing the impact on the surrounding rainwater drainage.

6.6 How the proposal influences the way people use the building Being relatively central to Devizes many users will be able to walk or cycle to activities in St Mary’s, as opposed to relying on a car or on public transport. It is envisaged that the building will be occupied throughout the day and not be used in the stop/start manner of many village halls. The layout allows different groups to use the building during the day, and the existence of community offices will mean the building can be monitored closely and the environmental energy use impact kept to a minimum.

6.7 Long term environmental strategy The purpose of the new building is not only to bring St. Mary’s Church back into more regular use, with a wider more secular nature, but also to provide a base for the local community and encourage more local based activities to flourish rather by using the facilities instead of travelling to go elsewhere. The whole of the new building has been designed to be completely day-lit during daylight hours and with low impact LED lighting for the evenings. The existing church will remain largely unaltered inside, without the need to add new floors at gallery level which would reduce the day light levels and be visually intrusive. The supply of water may be supplemented through rain water capture from the church roof. Grey water will be used instead of mains or rain water, where possible.

7 Other development options considered

7.1 Fundamental Considerations St Mary’s has no viable congregation, yet it is a very significant building in the town. If the PCC did nothing then the building would remain locked and unavailable for

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most of the time. It would stay as an unused and unknown asset of the parish and the town. As stated earlier, the PCC would consider petitioning for redundancy. To make the church a useful building for today, it must have modern facilities such as toilets, kitchen, storage rooms and office space. With today’s reliance on electronic communications it must be broadband enabled.

There is a need to sustain an income stream to support and maintain the church.

There is a need to keep the church in use avoid the church being declared redundant.

There is a need for meeting and performing spaces in Devizes. Other uses considered and rejected

The public meeting held on 14th July 2008 to consider possible uses for St Mary’s church was attended by people from the Town Council, the Lawrence Society of Arts, Kennet District Council, Wiltshire Heritage Museum, St Mary’s Church and Poorlands Charity, Devizes Chamber of Commerce, Wiltshire Family History Society, Devizes Deanery, Wiltshire Creativity Network, Devizes Festival, Community First, the Trust for Devizes, Festivals and Carnival, the Diocese, Devizes Town Council and Devizes Festival, Wiltshire Archaeological and Wiltshire History museum, Father Philip of Immaculate Conception Church and Devizes Town Band. A summary of comments was that it should be considered relative to other venues;

Salisbury Arts centre a good model; an arts centre would be valuable in mid-Wiltshire a good business plan would be needed; a feasibility study group is to be form.

From the initial meeting above a detailed consultation document was prepared and issued to 49 local organisations to which there were 22 replies. Only two of these followed any idea for charitable use such as for a drop-in centre or charitable serviced accommodation and neither followed it up. In practice, the Parish Rooms have been upgraded and are now used for three-times weekly sessions by Devizes Open Doors, an organisation to help and support disadvantaged people. Most people thought that St Mary's Church building, appropriately revised, would be suitable for community events and as an arts centre. No totally original or different usage was suggested. Some possible uses that have not been found attractive are: -

Cinema: Devizes has a permanent commercial cinema with up-to-date equipment.

Theatre: Devizes already has the thriving Wharf Theatre, with permanent box office, green room, auditorium and raked seating. Nevertheless, interest has been shown in using St Mary’s for overflow rehearsals.

Bowling: This would require significant permanent alteration that would make the building unusable for other interests.

Some sporting activities that would be prevented by the stone columns: typically Skate-boarding, Volleyball, Handball.

Coffee Shop or Restaurant of any type: Devizes is very well provided with these already.

A full-time, art, sculpture or display gallery: such do exist in small scale in Devizes; income from one would be too low.

7.2 Internal versus an external solution The PCC originally thought in terms of a gallery in the south side aisle of the church and storage in the north aisle to accommodate the necessary facilities and had some provisional plans drawn up. This basic idea formed the high level specification given to several architects’ practices. Three practices were asked to present detailed proposals based on their initial responses. Having been shown the concept of an external cloister, the PCC appreciated that the construction of rooms within the church would detract from the feeling of

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spaciousness and impact on the clean lines of the Norman and 15C building. It might also lead to the nave appearing as a corridor, which would go against the original builder’s reasons for building the side aisles. Subsequent discussions with a number of national preservation bodies have reinforced the wisdom of the decision to alter the interior as little as possible. A new build would also have the advantage of incorporating the most recent ideas on heating sources and low running costs. A cloister on the north side of the church would have the least impact on the view of the building from the town. It is worth noting that the church is usually photographed toward the west door from New Park Street, or from the south east corner of the churchyard. By keeping the floor level of the cloister the same as that of the nave, which is achieved by building into the churchyard, the height of the construction will be kept low. The St Mary’s Future Group and the PCC unanimously approved the cloister concept.

7.3 Other external build options Any building on the south or west sides of the church would have to be raised above ground level in order to have level access. This would significantly and adversely impact the external views of the church and create access problems from the south or west main entrances. The issue of level issue is only part of the problem; there would be an impact with trees, particularly to the mature copper beech tree and cedar trees adjacent to the south path. The South and West elevations would be considered the front faces of the church with main entrance at the West tower and secondary entrance at the South porch with its crenelated zig zag bands that is mentioned in the listing text. These would both be impacted detrimentally by building to this side of the Church. Finally a building on these sides would have a major visual impact on both neighbouring properties Chantry Court and the Listed Castle Hotel. Building to the east would not allow for the circulation of people during a performance and be difficult for performers. It would also affect views of the church from the favoured south east viewpoint and is likely to impact upon gravestones and boundary trees. Thus building to the north is the best option, part of the construction would be below current ground level and it could only be seen from a narrow part of the west entrance. View from the east, that is Commercial Road, would only be of the top half of the building and would be constricted by the 1.7 m high church yard retaining wall. Any building constructed tightly up against the north wall of the church would significantly affect views of the north side; the roof would protrude above the bottom of the aisle windows (noting the bottom of the glass is approx. 2m above floor level. This continuous abutment would lead to greater impact on the fabric of the Church as well as requiring knock through connections. The resulting corridor would be constrained and ugly if build between the church and the new rooms, it would only have views of the adjacent building and boundary wall if it ran on the outside of the rooms. The new building would be very visible from the church interior. An alternative would be for the PCC to incorporate the required facilities into adjacent properties. The Castle Hotel is a successful commercial licenced premises and so it would not be financially viable for the parish to purchase and convert into the necessary offices. Noting also that floor level is lower by 1.7m with the associated access issues. The building to the north contains a restaurant, two sets of office accommodation, two residential flats and a number of parking places. Again it would not be financially viable to purchase and convert. Long connecting corridors would be

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needed and new building would still be needed to the north for performers, with some services duplicated to provide for both members of the public at one end and performers at the other.

8 Sources used for the Statements of Need and Significance Church Building Council Guidance for Parishes: Statement of Significance and Statement of Need Council for the Care of Churches, Pastoral Measure Report Devizes St Mary. Item 9 [b] Wilts ADP 20 July 06 and 29 May 1996 Church Commissioners Letters RD Trahair 2nd February 2006 RDT/TB/4230, Property Secretary, Diocese of

Salisbury RD Trahair June 2006 RDT/LC/5375 RD Trahair January 2007 RC34/112 and attachments Paul Lewis 20 June 2007 NB34/112/RA Rex Andrew November 2009 NB34/112B/RA Diocese of Salisbury; RD Trahair RDT/LC/5375 Property Secretary, Diocese of Salisbury 21 June 2006 Pastoral secretary letter 1st August 2006 Ben 363A Diocesan Advisory Committee Notes on a DAC site visit to Devizes St Mary on

19 October 2009 Parish reports

St. Mary’s Church, Devizes, Historic Building Assessment; Matthew McMurray BA (Hons) MA; Historic Buildings Archaeologist Summary Report on St Mary’s Future Consultation 2009 Marketing Plan for the use of St Mary’s Devizes as a Community Event Space 2010 Study on St Mary’s Churchyard 2010 Written Scheme of Investigations for Mitigatory Archaeological Works April 2012 ref 3537-2. Michael Heaton Heritage Consultant Future Users Seminar- Consolidation of seminar input and StMFG plans 23/08/2012

Appendices 1 St Mary the Virgin, Devizes...C Notes of Future User Groups Seminar Summary 09/2012 D...

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Transcript of Appendices 1 St Mary the Virgin, Devizes...C Notes of Future User Groups Seminar Summary 09/2012 D...