West Port Annex - Joint Response to Planning Consultation
Linlithgow Civic Trust & West Lothian History
and Amenity Society
Joint Response To Planning Consultation
Planning Application Number - 0860/03
Applicant:
Hart Estates Ltd
Proposal: Conversion of redundant school building into
11 flats and erection of 12 new flats at (former West Port Annexe of) Linlithgow
Primary School, Falkirk Road, Linlithgow.
Observations
Introductory Note: This application is considered to have significant
implications for public services, infrastructure and congestion in the town of
Linlithgow, and thus the Civic Trust's general
policy on new housing development in the town should be adopted as part of
these observations. The comments below relate only the physical merits of the
proposal.
The re-use of the former school building is to be welcomed, and the
alterations proposed are reasonably sympathetic to the original design. In
particular, it is good to note the retention of the central assembly hall with
its wooden beamed roof - as a grand location for the staircase to the upper
floor. Unfortunately, however, the general effect is marred by the fenestration
and (particularly) the external steel access stair on the northern extensions.
The playground was once occupied by the original building of Linlithgow
Public School, converted from a church built in 1843, and demolished in 1972. As
there is historical precedent for a building on the site, the development of the
playground is supported in principle, although the loss of a venue for the
town's annual 'street fair' is to be regretted.
The design and materials of the new building in the playground are, however,
considered unsuitable for its very prominent location in the conservation area.
There is no precedent for a four-storey building on the site, but it could be
argued that the position at the far end of the wide civic space of the 'West
Port' could be enhanced by a taller building than before, but only if it could
be sympathetically designed to reflect the quality of the surrounding
traditional buildings. However, it should also be borne in mind that local
opinion tends to regard the number of houses proposed as over-development of the
site.
The following elements of the design are considered out of keeping with the
location and/or undesirable: the jumble of window shapes and proportions; the
flat roof; the lack of adequate coping above the elevation with the flat roof
(which will lead to ugly and prominent staining); the lack of modelling devices
to relieve the severity of the curved, rendered front; the use of facing brick;
the over-use of timber boarding; and (worst of all) the use of profiled metal
sheeting on the highest sections of roof. Was a design brief issued for this
site?
The new construction part of the proposal is, in many ways, just as out of
keeping with the town's character as the Vennel or West Port flats of the 1960s.
Architectural 'innovation', whereby one or two traditional elements are
respected but the rest ignored, is once more in vogue but no more suitable for
sensitive historic environments. Soon, it too, will be out of fashion!
The vehicular access arrangements are considered undesirable and potentially
dangerous. Right turns to and from Falkirk Road are already sufficiently
hazardous without the potential for cross traffic movements within a car's
length of the kerbline. The arrangement shown on the plans would be suitable for
no more than two dwellings on the site. One option would be to alter the
junction in order to properly and safely accommodate access to, and egress from,
Viewfield and Fairway, the neighbouring properties to the west - but this might
require undesirable tree felling. A preferable solution might be to take the
access from Mains Road, midway along the straight section on the site's southern
boundary - and this access could additionally be made available to the owners of
Viewfield and Fairway.
Conclusions
The Civic Trust and the WLHAS are pleased to note the proposed sensitive
conversion of the former West Port Annexe to flats (subject to the comments
above) but strongly object to the design and materials for the new
building in the playground. Both organisations also object to the
presently-proposed vehicular access to Falkirk Road
Ronald P A Smith BSc MRTPI, Chairman
Linlithgow Civic Trust
12 August 2003
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