Issue - meetings

Recommendation: Conditional approval of listed building consent

Proposal: Application for Listed Building Consent for the proposed dismantling of war memorial and relocation and reinstallation on new site.

Applicant: Mrs Katy Dagnall (Finchampstead Parish Council)

The Committee considered a report about this application, set out in agenda pages 37 to 52.

The Committee were advised that whilst there were no updates contained within the supplementary planning agenda, additional comments and officer responses had been received in relation to this application and had been circulated to the Committee. An additional representation had also been received from the War Memorial Trust, and had been circulated to the Committee.

Ian Adnams, local resident, spoke in objection to the application. Ian maintained that the reasons stated by the Parish Council for relocation of the memorial were not relevant. Ian stated that the Parish Council believed that no significant improvements could be made to the current junction whilst keeping the memorial in its current location, despite a suggestion from himself which would have made the junction safer whilst keeping the memorial in its existing location. Ian added that the Parish Council claimed that the current location was unsafe for the Armistice Day parade, however the Royal British Legion Remembrance Parade Policy Update advised that a parade was not the remembrance event, and it was not uncommon to have an event which did not involve a parade on a highway. Ian stated that St James’ Church was fully accessible from the memorial hall car park via a direct footpath with no road to close or negotiate, presenting a viable and safe option. Ian commented that a survey from the Parish Council claimed 89 percent of respondents supported plans to relocate the war memorial, however it had been pointed out by others that in fact 90.1 percent of respondents were in objection to the proposals. Ian stated that the memorial was designated both as a war memorial and as a wayside cross, and to carry out its function as a wayside cross the monument was required to remain where it was currently situated. Ian commented that he had lived and worked in Finchampstead all of his life, and the monument was a historic icon of the village of which its location had been chosen by the village’s forefathers. Ian asked that the monument be left in its current location, where he felt it belonged.

Graham Jukes, on behalf of the applicant, spoke in support of the application. Graham stated that the key issue relating to the application was the consideration of harm, and noted that the grade two listing applied only to the memorial itself and not to its setting. Graham stated that in the war memorial’s current location the Parish Council’s legal obligation to maintain the memorial could not be fulfilled, as the site was subjected to 11,000 vehicle movements each day. Graham stated that the site was too hazardous for contractors to operate without road closures, and after careful consideration of a range of options the Parish Council concluded that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 76