First issued: 18th November 2013
Annual
General Meeting
Many thanks to
those of you that took the time to attend our Annual General Meeting. We feel
it was well attended this year and was a good opportunity to speak to the
Minister for Heritage on a number of issues which are of concern to us. It was
also a good opportunity for the Board to report on completed and ongoing
projects and the plans for the future. We hope that once our building
renovation is complete more of you will make use of our building and will be
able to engage more with the issues we tackle on a daily basis.
Development
& Planning Commission Update
There have been a
number of significant planning applications heard before the DPC at the most
recent meeting held on 12th November. We hope to use the medium of
this newsletter to update you and also to gauge your opinion on upcoming
applications. All of these applications are available for public viewing at the
Ministry for Town Planning on the 3rd Floor of the Europort Building.
BA12720 – Windmill Hill Road – proposed
office/watchtower - GoG Project
As a Government
project this application is not subject to the full planning process but comes
to DPC for comment and guidance rather than approval. Initial reactions to the
application were that it was too high and too large a development on the
fortifications which are a listed monument. We asked whether the original
building (the Naval Signal Station circa 1900s), or parts of it, could be saved
and reused. This was confirmed not to be possible. We agreed in principle to a
building of this nature on this site as this is what this site has always been
but continued to object to the height and the massing and the lack of access to
the historic walls. The building has now been significantly revised and
downscaled. We are still not satisfied with a number of features and are to
meet with the architects to try to influence the design further.
BA12186 – 29-37 Engineer Lane – Proposed new hotel
This application is
of serious concern to the Trust. The Trust has for over 10 years been consistent
in its resistance to the outright demolition of this building and the gradual
removal of parts of the building such flooring and support joists which has led
to the dilapidated condition of the building today. This site is in the heart
of the Old Town, just off the Main Street. To lose a building of this character
is against Policy OTC4 in the Old Town Guide which includes a presumption
against the demolition of buildings in the old town. The building is typical of
local architecture, is in the centre of the old town and its demolition would
set a precedent for demolitions in the old town. The Risso building at Horse
Barrack Lane shows how beautiful this building could be following restoration
of the façade. The Trust objected to the principle of the demolition of this
building. Having read the structural reports in detail the main overriding
reasons given for its recommended demolition is the ‘higher long term life
cycle cost in relative terms when comparing with the life cycle costs of a new
building’. A building renovation will almost always be more costly than a
complete new build but the counterbalance for this is the inherent value that a
historic building with character has and the level of clientele it can attract,
moreover in a historic city with a thriving tourism industry such as Gibraltar.
The reports highlight a number of structural concerns with the building,
however the Trust feels that the reports do not look at a third option of a
partial demolition which could save at least the facade of the building and
thereby preserve this historic streetscape. We have no objections to some
increase in height, set back into the site which will allow the provision of a
higher number of beds, but the proposed 10 stories we feel is excessive. The
application was deferred to December’s meeting for possible revisions to the
scheme, but the Trust was very much on its own arguing against demolition on
this one and the building is still in very real danger of demolition which will
set a precedent for demolitions in the old town.
BA12795 – South Jumpers Bastion – Rosia Road –
proposed office development
The Trust was
pleased to see the Government put this site out to tender last year and has had
a number of meetings with the successful tenderer and developer in the run up
to this application. We were pleased to
see a proposal for the conservation and re-use of this listed monument and are
very interested in the methods proposed for the addressing of the historic
flooding problems. The Internal gorge of the bastion is to be restored and the
access walkways to the vaults reprovided. The interior of the vaults are to be
conserved and adapted to office use. At the request of the Trust public access
to the back of the building and the walls has been built into the scheme. These
were all positives but we felt that a frank discussion was required at the DPC
on this application due to the following reasons:
1)
the site has been
derelict for approx 30 years and the project proposes a new use and future for
the monument which is very positive, however the ‘cost’ to the monument is also
significant.
2)
the proposed office
use requires an extra 2 floors of office space above the bastion. This will
constitute building on the City Walls, a policy which has been consistently
applied for the last 10 years at this Commission with a number of positive
effects on the exposure and reuse of our City walls as a leisure facility.
3)
The Trust felt that
the proposed height is excessive but accept that some sort of cover is required
over the bastion gorge in order to make the site useable.
An open discussion
ensued at the DPC which resulted in a vote being taken and the project being
passed. As a Trust we maintained our objections to the height of the building
but also understand that there are commercial factors to be taken into account.
The DPC was clear that this project has been approved strictly on the
particular factors involved with this site and is not a waiving of the policy.
Future generations will judge the Commission’s decision on this one.
BA12815 – Gort’s Hospital – proposed storage facility
The Gort’s Hospital
complex is one of the more complete and intact hospitals dating from the WWII
period on the Rock. It’s conversion into storage units is regrettable as it
constitutes the loss of the complex from a historical point of view and the
possible touristic value it brings to the completeness of Gibraltar’s WWII and
tunnelling story which is unique in the world.
The above said, the
Gibraltar Museum have been working closely with the applicants to try and
minimise the impact of this new use on the complex and a number of items have
been removed for safe storage by the Museum. A complete pre-disturbance survey
has been completed for the sake of record keeping, but a watching brief has
also been conditioned on any further stripping works to document anything new
that might appear or is worthy of salvage.
This application
was submitted some months after a tender notice for the site appeared in the
local press taking the Trust and the Gibraltar Museum by surprise. We have
since made representations to the Minister and are starting to receive prior
warning of upcoming tenders so that we can feed in our comments ahead of the
tender being advertised.
Major Upcoming applications:
BA12850 – Redevelopment of Rosia Bay for Leisure use
Planning Permission
is being sought for the development of Rosia Bay into a leisure area with swim
club, waterpark pool, dive centre, marina berthing and associated activities.
The plans are available for view at the offices of the Town Planner. We also
have a copy at the Main Guard should anyone wish to view it.
BA12839 – Proposed refurbishment and development of
residential units. Plata Villa, Witham’s Road
An application for
the refurbishment of the Plata Villa building into residential units and also
the construction of 8 maisonettes in the grounds surrounding the main building.
Plans are available to view at the offices of the Town Planner. We also have a
copy at the Main Guard should anyone wish to view it.
We
would encourage you to take a look at the plans for yourself and give us your
views.
