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Stanhoe’s bid to become a Conservation Area

At the Parish Annual Meeting in April 2010, Parish Councillor Pamela Austin outlined a plan for the borough council to grant Stanhoe the status of a Conservation Area (see bottom of page for more about what this would mean). Below is Pamela’s report of a meeting on 28 May 2010.

The representative of the BCKLWN with the Conservation Area portfolio, Mrs Pam Lynn, spent an hour walking around Stanhoe with me; I also invited Gillian Beckett to come along as her knowledge of the historic details of Stanhoe is unsurpassed.

photos: Pamela Austin

We started with the cottages at The Green, walked the length of Docking Road from the pub to the Church Lane junction, and then returned, crossing the playing field to emerge beside the Reading Room, and then walked up Cross Lane to Bircham Road, and back to finish by returning along the path behind the pond.

Mrs Lynn was very impressed with the standard of the new developments on the whole, and the extent to which new builds have been designed sympathetically in terms of size, and the materials used. She feel confident that Stanhoe has a good case for applying, and a good chance of attaining Conservation Area status.

We have been left with a plan of Stanhoe showing all the listed buildings (Church Farm, The Grange, Stanhoe Hall, the Norfolk great barn at Ivy Farm, and of course All Saints’ church). Our task now is to define for approval the area which we wish to be designated a Conservation Area, as it does not necessarily have to be the whole village. Pam Lynn also left with me a copy of the “character statement” for Fincham, the latest Conservation Area to be approved, and an invitation to, if we wish, draft our own statement for Stanhoe. Gillian and I have agreed that between us we will produce a draft during the summer.

There follows a fairly lengthy process, not helped by a low level of staffing in the department of the Borough Council concerned. Firstly, all Stanhoe residents will be informed by a door to door leaflet drop conducted by the Council, to inform on the implications and request feedback. The proposal will then go to the Parish Council; Borough Councillors; Norfolk County Council; architectural consultants; the Government Office; English Heritage and others. A report, with a map and recommendations will be made to the Cabinet Office of the BCKLWN — generally this is just a “rubber stamping” job. This decision will then be ratified by the full Borough Council.

Advertisements then have to be placed in the London Gazette and one local newspaper — probably Lynn News — and once that has been done, approval may be granted.

Pamela Austin