The Lindfield Preservation Society

Planning Committee – Buildings, Structures & Trees

Report on Buildings Activities since 1st August 2005

During this period 20 planning applications have been registered, 10 for the Urban Parish and 10 for Rural. All have been inspected although 7 of the rural sites were considered to be too remote to be of interest to the Society. It has not been necessary send any letters of objection to MSDC. The Society continues to enjoy the privilege of speaking at Parish Council Planning Meetings as an official consultee. We attended the Central Area Planning Meeting on 18th August and voiced the Society’s concerns about the effect of a new house on Fieldway. Notwithstanding objections from the Parish Council and residents and noisy contributions from the public gallery, the application was granted.

With regard to other specific planning matters of interest to the Society, the following should be mentioned:
¶ The Society has been sent a letter by Mr DR Lankester, Head of Planning Implementation at MSDC on the subject of “Consultation On Draft Supplementray Planning Document: ‘Development and Infrastructure’”. This invites comments by 14th October and will need to be studied by the Planning Committee.
¶ An application is still awaited for the change of paint colour at 120 High Street.
¶ An application for Listed Building Consent is awaited in respect of Weaver’s Cottage at Pelham Place.
¶ We also need to be on the alert to a possible application for the re-development of an existing property understood to lie to the north of Brushes Lane.

1000 copies of the Lindfield Preservation Society’s “Welcome Leaflet” have been distributed to each of the two High Street estate agents, viz Weber Brown and Mark Revill. Some copies have been used in search of new members at Tall Oaks leaving nearly 1000 further copies for use as the Committee may decide. Invoices (£25) have been given to Weber Brown and Temple Bird for advertising space on the reverse.

A date is yet to be set for us to shadow a planning officer at MSDC.

Neil Kerslake remains very unwell and unable to assist the Society as in the past. The help of other members of the Planning Committee to compensate should be acknowledged.

The Planning Committee remains open to inspect and comment on plans from members of the Society and the public before submission as a formal application to MSDC. We continue to respond freely to the variety of requests we get for help and comment from village folk on planning issues.

John Jesson, 2 September 2005

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Ten meetings or other events were attended in this period.
Village Plan
John Jesson and Alan Gunson have invested considerable time and effort along with others in developing the proposals for the Housing & Environment Group and further work will continue for the foreseeable future.
Alan Gunson has also drafted Terms of Reference for the Traffic & Transport Group, and for the Safety & Security Group, along with several other relevant documents and has attended their meetings. More support is needed for both of these Groups.
2003 Licensing Act
The applications by the Red Lion and by the Bent Arms were attended by Martin Higgins and by Alan Gunson. Reports were issued, and lessons learned. A number of residents were given advice before and after the events. A better co-ordinated village approach is required.
MSDC Forum
Attended by invitation.
Streetmate
Alan Gunson has met the newly appointed outreach worker Linda Hopkins and has briefed her on Lindfield problems as understood by Lindfield Preservation Society. There were further disturbances caused by a group of 30-50 unruly 13-15 year old youngsters on the Common on Friday 30 September, a number of whom were intoxicated. This contrasts with Shirley Deakin’s statement at the LAT that Streetmate was no longer needed in Lindfield as anti-social behaviour has ceased.
Neighbourhood Watch
A discussion with Geoff Coe the Wealden Chairman has resulted in his agreeing to attend the Village Plan exhibition on 5 November in his official capacity and to have a small stand. It is hoped that Neighbourhood Watch will become a feature of the Safety & Security Group proposals in the Village Plan.
Local Action Team
Alan Gunson assisted Richard Bryant and others in preparing an overview traffic report against which the Local Action Team will now judge what further initiatives including Community Speed Watch should be adopted. Amongst other villages Cuckfield and Balcombe are further ahead than Lindfield. The same report with additions was tabled at the Joint Traffic Working Party.

Alan Gunson 11 October 2005

Text of a submission on 25 June 2003 to English Heritage on behalf of the Society for the Preservation of Lindfield with a view to preserving the village’s Old Fire Station. This building is threatened by an extension of our village hall, currently the subject of a Planning Application to the Mid-Sussex District Council

Background

The Lindfield Conservation Area was designated in 1969 in recognition of the special architectural quality and historic interest of the High Street and the area surrounding the Common. The Conservation Area was first extended in 1989 to included properties in Black Hill and again in 1998 to include Compton Road. The Society is very much indebted to English Heritage for the support it has given in the past to securing the future of a very significant number of valuable buildings in these areas by listing.

Within the Conservation Area, in the heart of the Village and on the southwest side of Lewes Road (B2111) about 50m from the junction of this road with High Street (B2028), stands the single storey brick and tile fire station building believed to date from the mid-nineteenth century. It was first built to house stabling for an adjacent property and later was to house the Lindfield Fire Brigade from its inauguration by the Parish Council in 1899 until the service was moved to Haywards Heath in 1934 when Cuckfield Urban Council came into being. It is also known from photographs that a fire service, which was in action over a wide area of Sussex during the 1939-1945 world war, was stationed in the building. The Brigade had a long history of service to the Village and was largely responsible for saving the Bent Arms Hotel from destruction in 1920.

The Old Fire Station is now a part of the King Edward Hall site and used as a store by a Village Society. The King Edward Hall, the back of which may be seen in the picture behind the Old Fire Station, was built as our village hall and remains an important centre for a number of different social activities. The threat to the Old Fire Station arises because a planning application has been registered by the Trustees of King Edward Hall to demolish a number of temporary wooden huts as well as the Old Fire Station and to extend the Hall up to the Lewes Road.

The Society for the Preservation of Lindfield wishes the Old Fire Station to be considered for preservation as it is significant in the social history of the Village and because it continues to make an important contribution to the street scene. The Society wishes to see the Old Fire Station developed into an active asset for the Village, for example as a place to house artefacts and memorabilia relating to its period of use as a fire station. The Society believes that a scheme for expanding the facilities offered by the Hall and improving the appearance of the whole site is possible without the loss of this historic building and wishes it to be listed to ensure its future is secured for the benefit of future generations of villagers and visitors.

Context

Lindfield has a strong individual village identity with a pond, a common, a church dating from the 13th century and a High Street. High Street is lined with many buildings of architectural interest. Although representative of a variety of periods, there is a number of buildings of medieval origin and Georgian period. One of the most attractive features of the southern part of High Street (near the junction of Lewes Road with High Street) is the way shops alternate with other uses. Lewes Road forms an important approach to the Village with Common grassland stretching away to the left providing the setting for Old School Court, until recently the Village’s Primary School, and now sympathetically adapted to small dwelling units. Buildings of architectural interest on both sides of the street, including the Old Fire Station, frame the final approach to High Street. Black Hill forms another important approach to the Village, the hill and bend in the road providing changing views of trees and buildings and a glimpse of the Common beyond, before entering the sweeping curve of High Street that embraces Town Pond. Compton Road is indicative of how Lindfield grew in the early 20th century, comprising mainly brick built dwellings with clay tile roofs and retaining many of their original features.

The following features in particular contribute to the character of the Conservation Area:

· The variety of buildings both in terms of age and architectural style and detail including timber framing, a variety of brick bonds, original features such as windows, chimneys and doors
· The use of natural and traditional building materials including clay tiled roofs, sandstone, Horsham Stone roofs, mathematical tiles, tile hanging and stucco
· The rising curve of High Street with the Church as a focal point
· A tree and hedge lined approach into the Village from the north
· The contrasting open approach from the east past the grassland Common
· The presence of trees and hedges around and between the buildings in Black Hill
· The trees along High Street
· The work of Charles Kempe at Old Place, and The large residential properties in Black Hill set well back from the road in spacious grounds.

Other industrial buildings/sites

Close to the centre of the Village stands a building, now the premises of a retail business, which was the Village Blacksmith’s Forge until 1983. The Village sustains the noisy tradition of firing the anvil to frighten off evil spirits on special occasions through the year.

A wheel-wright’s shop used to stand alongside the forge. There was considerable dismay and local protest when this shop was not sympathetically converted but demolished to make way for the Parish Council Office.

Toll House, High Street, dating from 1630, marks the site of a tollgate that was demolished in 1884.

A piano factory operated in the Village from 1840 to 1886, when it was removed to Rugby, the vacated building becoming the Assembly Rooms until the King Edward Hall was built in 1911. Frederick’s Cottages in Lewes Road were built to house piano factory workers and their families.

Lindfield’s brewery used to be sited behind the Linden Tree Public House on the west side of High Street. The brewery employed a horse ‘gin to raise water from a well. A few years ago the ‘gin was renovated and rebuilt behind the Red Lion Public House on the east side of High Street where it is now accessible to visitors with the permission of the landlord. The Lindfield Junior School started life in Lewes Road in 1881, replacing two other local schools. It has now moved to new premises and the building has been sympathetically conserved as a collection of small dwellings known as Old School Court.

To assist in evaluating our urgent proposal to have the Old Fire Station listed, a marked up location plan and photographs of its surroundings are enclosed. The building is on part of the King Edward Hall site and arrangements for access should be made with The Secretary, Mrs Gillian Alderman, 9 High Street, Lindfield, phone 01444 483181. The Society very much hopes that you will be able to give early consideration to the protection of this piece of significant village history and vernacular style and remove from it the threat of demolition. Should your staff require any clarification or further information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the undersigned or the Honorary Secretary of the Society.