Old Pennar School - Response to Request for Listing.

Hello All!
I have finally received a reply to my request to CADW to review the listing status of Old Pennar school.

The first part of the email is my response to their decision, which is printed in full below.

Start.

Dear Rhodri
Many thanks for the reply to my request for a review of the listing of Old Pennar School. I am disappointed by this reply. This will clearly make Pennar a "free fire" zone for developers and dramatically erode the sense of place and community within this ward of Pembroke Dock and add to the disenchantment and sense of abandonment amongst the residents.
The scheme whereby Pembrokeshire County Council is able to determine local listing is, quite frankly, nonsense. They are already the property owners and the arbiters of planning decisions. Such an arrangement is both lacking in transparency and open to abuse. The Welsh Government is short sighted and abdicating its responsibilities if it allows this policy to continue.
I will now try and find out what is to happen to the good quality limestone from the demolition or the roofing material. Will PCC have the sense to claim it for work in renovating properties in the local conservation area? I doubt it.
Still no listed buildings in Pennar.
Best wishes
Adrian
Www.saveoldpennarschool.blogspot.com
PS. I have identified another property in PD that may be worthy of Grade II listing, having compared its interior to the original building drawings, of which I have copies, it is virtually untouched. C.1900. I shall be in touch.

Sent from my Windows Phone so apologies for typos.
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From: Rhodri.Kelly@Wales.GSI.Gov.UK
Sent: ‎28/‎08/‎2015 14:13
To: adriantajames@hotmail.com
Subject: Old Pennar School, pembroke Dock

Dear Mr James,

Thank you for your emails asking Cadw to consider Old Pennar School, Pembroke Dock for listing, and for the information provided in support of this request.  I am sorry that I have not been able to reply to you sooner.

As explained in the email dated 30 April which was issued by my colleague, Tina Moverley, the school would have been looked at for listing in 1994 when Cadw resurveyed the entire Pembroke Dock community for historic buildings.  Pembroke Dock is a relatively intensive area for listing and we are confident that the fieldwork included the locality of Pennar, and that the school was seen, given its building type and location, but rejected as it did not meet the published strict criteria for listing.  Cadw’s Historic Buildings Inspector has carefully reconsidered the case for listing in light of your request and the information you have kindly provided, but has advised that there is nothing to suggest that the building’s significance was overlooked previously.

We acknowledge that the building has some historic interest as an early board school and there are some points of architectural interest (the stone detailing to the exterior, the roof structure where visible and the one surviving fireplace).  However, it has been altered through historic extensions and later changes such as the plastic windows, internal boarding and removal of features and as a result of these alterations, is no longer considered to be a good example of its type. There are better examples of early schools and those that are listed set the benchmark against which new candidate buildings are assessed.  In this instance, there are comparable buildings that are more architecturally distinguished at the national level and listed as being better examples of this building type with exceptional architectural character.  For example:

Former Church School, St Davids.  1873 former National or Church School.
Former Capel Dewi School, Llanarthney.  Listed as a well-preserved and good example of an 1870-Education-Act village school.
Barham Memorial School, Trecwn.  Included as a well-designed and executed later Victorian school, with advanced architectural detail unusual for the period.
Cwmbach County Primary School, Whitland.  Included as a little-altered C19 primary school building, of group value with the chapel adjoining.

You should also be aware that listing is not intended to be a preservation order or a block on development, but rather a planning marker designed to sympathetically manage change in historically and architecturally important properties.

I appreciate that the absence of a statutory listing will be disappointing to you, but as the strict criteria for listing are not met, there is no basis on which to list.  The option of local listing is available to a local planning authority and while local listing in itself does not protect such buildings from demolition, it can be a material consideration in the planning process. You may wish to take this up with Pembrokeshire County Council.


Kind Regards,
Rhodri Kelly


Rhodri Kelly
Gwasanaeth Amgylchedd Hanesyddol (Cadw) / Historic Environment Service (Cadw)
Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government
                                                                                                                                       
Ffôn / Tel: (01443) 336003
Ffacs / Fax: (01443) 336001
E-bost: kellyr@cymru.gsi.gov.uk / E-mail: kellyr@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Helpwch yr amgylchedd - peidiwch ag argraffu hon os nad oes gwir raid.
Help our environment - only print this if really necessary.

Dilynwch Cadw / Follow Cadw:
www.cadw.cymru.gov.uk | www.cadw.wales.gov.uk
www.facebook.com/pages/Cadw/254566024556911 <span style="font-size:10

End

Old Pennar School - Getting the Building Listed (Part 5)

Apologies for the rather long gap between postings, but there has been little news to report on Old Pennar School.

However, I can post some more information from the document I submitted to CADW re: the listing of the Old School.

More to follow very soon!

Old Pennar School - Who to contact (Part 2)

In my last post I gave the contact details of people or organisation you can contact to express any concerns you might have about the way the future of Old Pennar School has been handled by Pembrokeshire County Council. This would include any concerns you have of a procedural nature. This would include any decisions or standpoints that the council is taking that seem to be contrary to their own Local Development Plan and other policies.

News paper cutting: November 1883

In this post I will start to mention some organisations you could contact to express concerns about the loss of a very important local community landmark and building which has for generations been part of the main focus of the community of Pennar. This post will be about CADW.

First a brief recap of the way in which historical monuments can be protected by designation in law. The two "systems" are scheduling and listing.

Scheduling

A Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) is one that , in CADW's own words:

"The one factor common to nearly all scheduled ancient monuments is that they are archaeological sites, ruins or buildings for which there is little prospect of economic use. It is this which distinguishes them from listed buildings. A structure cannot be scheduled as an ancient monument if it is in use either as a dwelling house or for ecclesiastical purposes.

Some structures are both scheduled and listed. Mostly these are unoccupied buildings, such as medieval barns or dovecotes, as well as some industrial monuments and a selection of bridges. Occasional areas of overlap reflect the fact that the scheduling process predated the listed buildings legislation."
 

A pamphlet about Scheduled Ancient Monuments and the law relating to them in Wales can be obtained from here.

What is Scheduling?

Sometimes buildings get de-scheduled. A local example of this is the Dockyard Chapel in Pembroke Dock. This was  to enable it to be restored to its wonderful present state. See posts in

 www.PDboyinsuffolk.blogspot.com

Listing

When a building is listed, it conveys different levels of protection. Listing can apply to just part of a building as well.

Again in CADW's own words:

"Buildings are assessed against criteria set out in Circulars 61/96 & 1/98. The principles of selection were originally drawn up by an expert committee of architects, antiquarians and historians and are still followed today, although the criteria are revised periodically. The following are the main criteria:

• Architectural interest: buildings important to the nation for the interest of their architectural design, decoration and craftsmanship; also important examples of particular building types and techniques (for example,buildings displaying technological innovation or virtuosity) and significant plan forms;

• Historic interest: buildings which illustrate important aspects of the nation’s social, economic, cultural or military history;

• Close historical associations with people or events of importance to Wales;

• Group value: especially where the buildings comprise an important architectural or historic unity or a fine example of planning (for example, squares, terraces or model villages).

 In considering whether to list a building, the Assembly is advised by the professional Inspectorate of Historic Buildings within Cadw, which makes assessments in the light of these principles. Local authorities and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW) are also consulted. Gardens, however exceptional, cannot be listed, though garden structures can be listed individually. Cadw has prepared a non-statutory register of parks and gardens of historic interest which provides information on sites of interest."

Further information can be found here:

What is Listing?
 

 

Also:

"Listed buildings are classified in grades to show their relative importance.
The grades are:

 • I — Buildings of exceptional, usually national, interest. Currently, fewer than two per cent of buildings listed in Wales qualify for this grade;

• II* — Particularly important buildings of more than special interest;

• II — Buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made
to preserve them."

 CADW can be contacted directly: at:

Cadw
Welsh Government
Plas Carew
Unit 5/7 Cefn Coed
Parc Nantgarw
Cardiff
CF15 7QQ

Tel:  01443 336000
Fax:  01443 336001
E-mail: cadw@wales.gsi.gov.uk

It is better to ask to speak to or email:

Kate Clark, Cadw's Director. Kate joined Cadw in 2014, with a background in museums and heritage in Australia and the UK. As the Director she is responsible for overseeing the multi-disciplinary work of Cadw, including the direct management of monuments in State care, specialist policy, statutory responsibilities, conservation, visitor and commercial functions. The Director reports to the Director of Culture and Sport and is accountable to Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism.
Email Kate Clark Kate.Clark@wales.gsi.gov.uk


Gwilym Hughes, Assistant Director Historic Environment.  Gwilym joined Cadw in 2007 and is responsible for the policies and actions which aim to protect the Welsh historic environment.
Email Gwilym Hughes Gwilym.Hughes2@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Lucy O’Donnell, Assistant Director Public Engagement and Governance.  Lucy joined Cadw in 2011 and is responsible for the services which make the Welsh historic environment interesting and relevant and through which Cadw is accountable to the public.
Email Lucy O’Donnell Lucy.O'Donnell@wales.gsi.gov.uk