Place and Environment - Historic Environment

Preservation, re-use and adaptation

The Council will support the retention and preservation of all listed buildings, as well as the re-use and adaptation of listed buildings to meet modern requirements where this can be achieved in a manner sensitive to the character of the building.

New development and alterations

Development proposals that affect a listed building, its curtilage or its setting, including through restoration, alteration and adaptation, will only be supported by the Council where it can be demonstrated that this is sensitive to the character, appearance and architectural or historic interest of the building and its setting.

Proposals should be consistent with the Council's Listed Buildings and Buildings within Conservation Areas Supplementary Guidance.

Demolition

Proposals for the total or partial demolition of a listed building will only be supported where it can be demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that every effort has been made to retain the building.

Demolition will only be acceptable where it can be evidenced that:

1. the building is no longer of special interest; or
2. the building is incapable of repair; or
3. the demolition of the building is essential to delivering significant benefits to inclusive economic growth or the wider community; or
4. the repair of the building is not economically viable and that it has been marketed at a price reflecting its location and condition to potential purchasers for a reasonable period

New development and alterations

Development within a conservation area or affecting its setting should:

1. preserve and enhance its character and appearance, by being sympathetic to the area in terms of use, layout, size, scale, design, siting, material and colour
2. be consistent with any relevant conservation area appraisal or management plan, as well as the Listed Buildings and Buildings within Conservation Areas Supplementary Guidance

Development proposals should ensure that existing natural and built features which contribute to the character of the conservation area and/or its setting are retained, for example, structures, boundary walls, railings, trees and hedges.

Demolition

There will be a presumption in favour of the retention of buildings that positively contribute to the character and appearance of a conservation area, and any proposal for demolition should demonstrate that positive attempts have been made to achieve retention, restoration and sympathetic conversion to a compatible use.

Any demolition will only be supported where there is a planning application for a replacement building that preserves or enhances the character and appearance of the conservation area or, in exceptional circumstances, a landscaping scheme is proposed as a replacement.

Development that would have an adverse effect on scheduled monuments or a significant adverse effect on the integrity of their settings shall not be supported unless there are exceptional overriding circumstances. When exceptional circumstances have been satisfactorily demonstrated, impacts on the scheduled monument or its setting should be minimised and mitigated.

The Council will seek to protect, conserve and, where appropriate, enhance key landscape characteristics and special qualities of sites in the Inventory of Historic Battlefields.

Other archaeological resources should be preserved in situ wherever possible. The developer may be required to supply an archaeological evaluation report prior to the determination of a planning application. Where the case for preservation does not prevail, the developer shall be required to make appropriate and satisfactory provision for archaeological excavation, recording, analysis and publication in advance of development.

When archaeological discoveries are made in the course of development works, they should be reported to the Council to enable discussion on appropriate inspection, recording and mitigation measures.

Development proposals that seek to repair, enhance and bring back into beneficial use historic environment assets identified as being at risk through the Buildings at Risk Register, will be supported.

The Council will seek to preserve and protect as far as possible other non-designated historic environment assets and areas of historic interest that do not have statutory protection but that are nonetheless of important heritage value. Any impacts on these historic assets should be avoided, and where this is not possible, minimised.

Gardens and designed landscapes are an important element of East Ayrshire's historic environment, offering significant opportunities for recreation, education, employment and tourism. Sites of national importance included in the National Inventory, and Non-Inventory sites of local importance are protected and their enhancement encouraged.

Development will not be supported where it will have significant adverse impacts upon the special historical, architectural and landscape interest of both Inventory and Non-Inventory gardens and designed landscapes including:

1. overarching design quality
2. historical value
3. horticultural, arboricultural or silvicultural value
4. scenic value
5. natural heritage interest
6. architectural value
7. archaeological interest

The Council will also have regards to the following aspects of both Inventory and Non-Inventory gardens and designed landscapes:

• important views and approaches to, from and within the landscape
• features that contribute to its value that justify its designation or special interest
•  wider setting

Where a proposed development will impact on any garden and designed landscape, applicants will be expected to provide a landscape conservation and management plan, commensurate to the scale of the development, setting out an understanding of the special interest of the site in detail, identifying conservation needs, and identifying how change can best be accommodated without unacceptable adverse impacts. Proposals should be accompanied by a suitably detailed heritage impact assessment.

East Ayrshire's Gardens and Designed Landscapes Non-Statutory Planning Guidance provides important contextual information with regards to the value of Inventory and Non-Inventory gardens and designed landscapes in East Ayrshire and will assist applicants in addressing points (i) to (iv) in supporting documentation provided alongside any application.

The consideration of the requirements and principles set out within the guidance in an application will be a material consideration in the assessment of any application to which this policy applies.

Proposals for enabling development to support the restoration of listed buildings will be supported where it can be demonstrated that the:

• requirement for enabling development has been properly quantified to prove that an overall conservation deficit exists, and what this deficit is
• enabling development is the only means of preventing the loss of the listed building and securing its long term future
• level of enabling development proposed is the minimum required to bridge any gap in funding
• enabling development can be sensitively sited and designed to ensure the character and setting of the listed building is preserved and enhanced

Enabling development may be supported to preserve other heritage assets, when it can be demonstrated that it is in the public interest to retain the asset and it can be demonstrated that the proposal complies with the criteria listed above.

In all cases, proposals for enabling development will require to be accompanied by a detailed business plan and financial information, to demonstrate how the enabling development will fund the heritage asset. The timeline of works, if extended, should take into account inflation. The Council will appoint an independent specialist to assist in examining the viability of proposals.

A phasing plan should ensure that the restoration will begin prior to the commencement of any aspect of the enabling development on site. A planning obligation to control the phasing of works across the overall development will be required.