51.072348, -1.790584
Conservation Management Plan
Wessex Archaeology was commissioned to prepare a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) by Wiltshire Council (formerly Salisbury District Council) for the Grade II Registered Council House Gardens at Bourne Hill in Salisbury. Salisbury District Council was dissolved and subsumed into Wiltshire Council in April 2009.
Planning Application S/2008/0350 was made in 2008 for an extension to the north of The Council House and landscaping works within the Site. The planning application was granted on 14th July 2008. The application is associated with a second approved application, S/2008/0351, to demolish the existing Grade II* 19th century extension to The Council House. The CMP was written to fulfil a requirement of Schedule item no. 2, within the Memorandum of Understanding prepared by Salisbury District Council on 2nd July 2008.
The purpose of this CMP is to understand the values of the Site and assess its significance, in order to apply an appropriate set of policies to ensure its long-term protection and enhancement. The CMP relates to the proposed works of the current planning application and any subsequent works in the future.
Background to the Conservation Management Plan
The Site is a Grade II Registered Garden, as of November 2007, containing six structures that are on the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (listed) and a section of the City Rampart which is a Scheduled Monument. The Site is also within the Salisbury City Centre Conservation Area, which is currently under review (‘Salisbury City Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan Consultation Draft January 2010’ by Forum Heritage Services, 2010). The CMP was commissioned to ensure that any future works within the Site will be sympathetic towards this heritage asset.
This document has been prepared, following the issue of many previous reports addressing the Site. Primarily, an Environmental Statement (ES) was prepared to inform the planning applications submitted in 2008 (Salisbury District Council Extension of Office Accommodation at Bourne Hill Environmental Statement Written Statement vol. 1 edited by The Landmark Practice). The chapters on the ‘Historic Landscape and Garden’, ‘Historic Built Environment’ and ‘Archaeology’ were produced by Wessex Archaeology. A recommendation was made within this ES, stating that ‘The management of the Scheduled Monument and the Registered Park and Garden will benefit from the production of a management plan to, amongst other matters, identify key issues relating to the survival of the Scheduled Monument’ (Landmark Practice 2008, 6-17).
In addition to fulfilling the planning application condition, it is hoped that this document will provide a succinct statement of the history and significance of the Site, synthesize the findings of the previous reports and give practical advice for the Site’s continued maintenance, enhancement and enjoyment.
