City of Durham - Local Plan


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	APPENDIX 6
	CONVERSION OF TRADITIONAL FARM BUILDINGS
	INTRODUCTION
	The City of Durham includes a large rural area containing over three hundred farms, mostly situated in open countryside. Changing patterns in rural land use, farm management and countryside recreation have combined to leave many of these farms either redundant or marginally economic, and consequently open to new forms of rural diversification. The successful conversion of traditional farms will preserve the local heritage, make good use of sound buildings and stimulate the rural economy.
	This Appendix sets down the Council's standards on achieving a good quality of design in traditional farm conversions to ensure that such buildings are conserved without loss of their visual importance, architectural or historic value through inappropriate alterations to either the farm's fabric or its rural setting.
	A traditional Farm Building is defined as a building, usually in a farmland setting. The construction of which is typical of vernacular buildings with an agricultural purpose.
	This guidance should be read in conjunction with Policy E8.
	PLANNING APPLICATIONS
	The conversion of traditional farm buildings requires planning permission for change of use. Where proposals require alterations to the external appearance of the buildings the Council will require the submission of the following information.
	Farm Statement Although it is not now necessary for the Council to be satisfied that a building is redundant, it is important that the consequences of the proposed conversion are fully set out in a farm statement. How will the land be farmed after conversion? Will there be a need for new, compensatory farm buildings for the displaced agricultural use? Is the conversion part of a wider farm amalgamation scheme? In particular, the applicant will need to consider whether residential accommodation is needed for farm workers in the future farm strategy. The option of retaining such accommodation in the event of the disposal of the converted buildings must be carefully considered, as future new houses would be resisted outside settlement boundaries.
	Structural Condition Survey Applications must be accompanied by a report from a qualified structural engineer demonstrating that the building is capable of adaptation with little or no rebuilding of the existing structure. Areas of poor structure should be repaired in situ rather than rebuilt. Extensive rebuilding would constitute new building, which is contrary to policy. Further demolition/rebuilding proposals over and above any limited areas agreed as part of the planning approval may change a repaired building into a rebuilt one and not be acceptable.
	Architectural Survey of Traditional Farm Buildings Conversion of farm buildings to a new use inevitably means the loss of the agricultural function, the purpose for which they were designed and built. It is important that this loss of historical tradition is preserved by an adequate drawn, written and photographic record of the farm whilst still in agricultural use. Existing survey drawings are an essential part of all planning applications and the requirement here is no more than that provided by the most competent architects and plan drawers. Full survey plans, sections and elevations to at least 1:100 scale identifying all internal and external architectural and agriculture features, roof truss position etc. is needed. The original agricultural purpose of the buildings should be identified, supported where possible by the evidence of existing or previous farmers. A comprehensive internal and external photographic survey should be deposited covering the farm group. Supplementary historical or archival information should be supplied if this is readily available. This material is required as part of the architectural assessment that needs to be made, and also informs the applicant and the Council when considering the changes to the building to accommodate the new use.
	LISTED BUILDINGS
	The most important of the City's traditional agricultural buildings are listed and any proposals to convert them will require listed building consent in addition to planning permission for change of use. Their listing often reflects their quality as a good example of a particular agricultural use eg barn, cow byre, gin-gan (horse engine house). Clearly if a proposed new use destroys essential features of the building its listed character will suffer and the proposal could not be supported. The subdivision of a large internal space such as a barn, into floors and rooms may critically damage its character and would be unacceptable.
	The problems of residential conversion can be particularly severe. In the case of Grade I and II* buildings standards must be especially high and the Council will liaise closely with English Heritage on such proposals. It is unlikely that any form of residential conversion would be acceptable for such buildings.
	Grade II buildings are often listed because they are relatively unaltered examples of a particular building type. Care is therefore needed so that their special interest is not ruined.
	DESIGN PRINCIPLES
	The character of traditional farm buildings is derived from their original functions as working agricultural buildings. Every effort must be made to retain the original simplicity of scale and form, and to alter the buildings as little as possible, externally and internally.
	A basic principle central to the successful conversion is that the interior layout is dictated by the position of the building's existing door and window openings, allowing a more imaginative interior layout and retaining more of the building's character and historic integrity.
	Features of architectural and historic interest such as large door openings, hay loft doors, ventilation slits, external stone steps, gin-gans, threshing floors, pigeon lofts etc. should be retained and incorporated within the design proposals.
	DESIGN DETAILS
	Roofs
	Conversion requires a structurally sound building and existing roof structures will in most cases be retained. Proposals for wholesale replacement will be resisted. Older roof structures or intrinsic historic interest will require particularly careful conservation.
	Replacement of roof coverings may well be necessary and the use of stone slate, Westmoreland or Welsh slate or traditional sized clay pantile will depend upon an examination of the current or original roof covering. Uniformity of roof covering throughout a farm group is not a desirable aim if the evidence of the individual buildings points to a mixture of traditional materials. Artificial slates, concrete tile and modern sheet materials are not appropriate.
	Roof pitches on farm buildings are generally unbroken and dormer windows are alien and damaging to farm groups. Rooflights, where used to reduce new wall openings, must be very limited in size and number, and preferably set flush with the roof.
	Roof space ventilation must be achieved by concealed methods, such as at the eaves, rather than by the use of visible proprietary methods.
	Rainwater goods should be cast iron, or timber where extant, set on traditional spiked gutters, without fascia boards, and painted black or to match the background material eg stone (O8 B 21).
	Existing stone ridges should be reused and split pantile ridges, bedded in lime-based mortar should be replicated where present, in preference to an overlarge clay ridge tile on a pantile roof. Gables should be generally finished with a cement fillet where no parapet is present.
	Chimney stacks are not a traditional feature of farm buildings, as opposed to the farmhouse where they are, of course, a common feature. Consequently their introduction can have a domesticating effect and should be avoided in preference to a simple metal flue or low ridge vent (when appropriate). Conversion seeks to retain the agricultural, non-residential character of the building, not achieve a replication of the farmhouse or cottage.
	Walls
	Walling materials vary throughout the District, their distribution being generally more localised than roofing material. Careful examination of the existing buildings is essential so that any new or repaired work can reflect the traditional materials and details. Generally carboniferous sandstone in the west and central parts of the District gives way to magnesian limestone in the east, with a belt of brick farm buildings within the clay-lined valley of the River Wear. The material for dressings around openings and corner stones may vary, particularly where magnesian limestone is the main walling material, and brick or dressed sandstone was imported to strengthen the construction.
	Existing stone coursing must be respected in any repair or rebuilding work and, generally speaking, a 1:2:9 cement/lime/sharp sand mortar, flush pointed just behind the face of the stone and stiff brushed after partial setting is recommended. Sample pointing will usually be a condition of any planning approval.
	Rendering is not usual on farm buildings but where traditional, disguising poor walling material, may be reinstated with an appropriate wood floated, lime based render.
	Walling features such as ventilation slits, lamp recesses, pigeon boxes and owl holes should be retained where possible.
	Openings
	The provision of window and door openings is often the most critical aspect of the conversion of traditional farm buildings, particularly where residential conversion is proposed. Farm buildings rarely have many windows and such doors and windows as they do have are usually located on the inward looking elevations of farm ranges, particularly around the central courtyard. This reflects their function and also an awareness of the need to limit openings that look outward to the wind and weather particularly from the west and north. Thus achieving light in a conversion scheme, and often views out across the open countryside in residential schemes, without introducing new openings in blank walls, poses a real problem. For this reason alone residential conversion is often not an appropriate option for reusing a traditional farm building.
	Window openings should ideally be limited to existing windows, or the reopening of blocked doors or windows. Where limited new windows are unavoidable, particularly on previously blank elevations, they should be kept to a minimum and of a scale, position and type compatible with the character of the building. The introduction of symmetrically arranged regular window openings must be avoided as it imposes a wholly domestic character on the building.
	Window surrounds will usually be constructed from the main walling material (see above) though the best guidance is to examine the existing building's traditional detail and reflect this in any new opening.
	Window types and glazing depend upon the overall design of the conversion and a range of solutions may be appropriate. Examination of existing openings may influence the design of any new windows. As a general rule traditional domestic joinery such as sash windows will not be present in a simple cow byre and new windows should not become over-sophisticated for the buildings they are to go in.
	Consequently multi-paned sashes may be appropriate for the farmhouse but not for its farm buildings, where simpler proportioned openings (square or vertical) may be better. In many instances a single glazed sheet may be appropriate. Upper floor hay loft doors may be adapted for glazing but the door should be retained or rehung in keeping with the building's character.
	Similarly ground floor door openings or arched cart sheds may be adapted for glazing of a simple design but doors where present should be retained and may serve a valuable security measure when the building is temporarily unoccupied.
	Window frames should reflect the existing frame positions, which are usually set back 75-100mm from the face of the wall, often deeper in the case of hay lofts. In ventilation slits the glazing should be deeply recessed so that the frame is not visible.
	Door openings on farm buildings may be pedestrian or vehicular in scale though Durham has few large barn doors. The retention of good traditional doors is desirable and new doors of a simple plank (ledged, braced and battened) type is appropriate. Georgian style panelled doors, fanlights, UPVC doors and other elaborately moulded doors are not appropriate and should be avoided. Only limited glazing should be incorporated into a door.
	Dark painted timber frames should be used for all openings. White painted or UPVC window frames will not generally be considered appropriate for use in conversion schemes. Stained timber frames may be acceptable.
	Interiors
	The design of the interior of any building directly affects its external appearance. In the case of farm conversion the design process must be a combination of developing the internal spaces within a largely pre-determined external envelope of existing openings.
	In the hands of a creative designer, this process can create exciting and imaginative solutions, particularly those that develop the opportunities inherent in open plan/open roofed buildings.
	Detailed interior design is only relevant to the local planning authority with regard to listed buildings (see above) but experience indicates that conversion schemes based on a standardised solution, that ignore the existing external envelope, will not be supported.
	EXTENSIONS AND GARAGES
	New uses should be capable of accommodation within traditional farm buildings without the need for enlargement. In the case of residential conversions this accommodation should extend to garaging and, where demand is likely, the provision of stabling. Over development of existing buildings with the consequent need for new ancillary garages/stores etc. will be resisted.
	Porches will not be favourably considered and should be avoided in preference to the provision of internal lobbies.
	Extensions will only be considered in exceptional cases where essential to the satisfactory conversion of the building and where acceptable must be designed in a traditional manner.
	SETTING AND EXTERNAL SPACES
	The sensitive conversion of farm buildings can be ruined by inappropriate treatment to surrounding spaces and boundaries. All planning applications for conversions must be accompanied by details of all external spaces including boundary walls and fences, layout and surfacing of all drives etc., soft and hard landscaping. All existing trees must be accurately plotted.
	Boundary Walls where extant and traditionally constructed should be kept wherever possible, and new walls built to match in a manner that respects the farm layout. Larchlap type fencing is usually inappropriate on conversion schemes and examination of the farm's traditional boundaries (post and wire, hedges, dry-stone walls) will usually point to the most appropriate material. The introduction of formal gate piers with fussy ball finials is invariably wrong on farm conversions.
	Landscaping should be kept simple and robust. Soft planting that suburbanises or domesticates the character, such as coniferous hedges and trees, will be resisted. Block paving similarly may be too urban for farm yards and courts, where tarmac with a fully rolled aggregate surface, or compacted dolomite may be more successful.
	Shelter Belts are a traditional sight on most farm groups, comprising a copse of trees, usually to the west of the buildings to break up the prevailing winds. These are important landscape features and their conservation, under-planting, or full restoration may be sought as an essential part of any conversion proposal.
	WILDLIFE
	Derelict buildings in the countryside can, on occasions, have visual appeal and more often have value as a wildlife habitat. Attention is drawn to the provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 with reference to the protection of owls, bats and bat roosts which may occupy redundant farm buildings. Where remedial timber treatment or some other building work is proposed at a site where bats are present, English Nature and Durham Bat Group must be consulted.





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