Project Name: Victoria Station, Manchester, Grade II
Type of Project: Conservation Plan, Historic Context Appraisal, Visual Impact Assessment  
Date: April 2007
Client: Muse Developments Ltd/Network Rail
Architect: Hamilton Architects
Planner: How Planning LLP

Special Interest: The original Victoria Station, part of which still survives, is thought to have been designed under the supervision of George Stevenson and was opened in 1844 in Hunt's Bank. It consisted of a single-storey building and a platform to which the only access was a wooden footbridge over the River Irk via Mill Brow. By 1909, the Station had grown considerably, although a large area was demolished to allow for the MEN Arena to be constructed in the early 1990’s. The station can now be accessed by the original Hunts Bank Approach and the later Victoria Station Approach. The building was subsequently the target of WWII bombing and affected by the IRA bomb blast in 1996. The station was Grade II listed in June 1988 and sits on the boundary of the designated Cathedral Conservation Area. The area has been the ecclesiastical and scholastic centre of Manchester since the earliest times. Today, the Cathedral, Station and Chetham's Hospital school form the focal point of a wider area notable for the diversity of activities carried on within its bounds.

Scope of Professional Services:
In 2007, Heritage Architecture Ltd were commissioned to undertake the following:

• CONSERVATION PLAN: An outline Conservation Strategy was prepared to include the surviving historic buildings and features of special interest within the immediate environs; while the formulation of conservation objectives would serve to inform decisions regarding any future development on the site.

• HISTORIC CONTEXT APPRAISAL: Research was undertaken in order to assess the development of the station site and its historic context. An assessment of the character of the Cathedral Conservation Area took the form of a ground level appraisal of the contextual relationship of buildings and vistas, to inform the consideration of development concepts.

• VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT: The identification and selection of potential key views and the preparation of a key views map was undertaken as part of the competition bid. A preliminary assessment of the development concept to identify potential or actual visual impacts likely to result from the proposed concept on the special interest of the Cathedral Conservation Area and on the settings of listed buildings was undertaken.

Project Name: Harpurhey Baths, Manchester, Grade II
Type of Project: Condition Assessment, Schedule of Repairs, Temporary Protection Plan, Historic Fabric/Salvage Records and PPG15 Justification Statement
Date: October 2007
Client: MANCAT
Architect: Walker Simpson Architects

Special Interest: The Harpurhey Baths were designed by Henry Price, the same architect who designed the Grade II* listed Victoria Baths, and were listed Grade II in 1994 while still in use. Harpurhey Baths are one of numerous municipal baths constructed throughout the country around the turn of the century, following various social reforms, and public health acts. The baths complexes were principally for social amenity and hygiene, rather than primarily for recreation. They were designed to fit an already occupied site, which contained, besides terrace houses and shops lining Rochdale Road, a school and a pub. The entrance block, with its return, and the massing of the male pool behind were considered as an architectural frontispiece. The baths provided an extremely important social facility in the area and has been associated with community use and gathering, for over 100 years. The male baths closed in 2001, after serious defects were discovered.

Scope of Professional Services:
Heritage Architecture Ltd is in the process of being commissioned to undertake the following:

• CONDITION ASSESSMENT: An architectural condition survey of the Male Baths Entrance Building was undertaken by Heritage Architecture Ltd.

• CONSERVATION SPECIFICATIONS: The schedule of repairs arising from the Condition Assessment formed the basis for the preparation of tender-ready conservation specifications relating to the entrance building.

• TEMPORARY PROTECTION PLAN: In relation to the extent of alteration immediately adjacent, above and/or below the listed building, Heritage Architecture Ltd recommended that key interventions, particularly those involving surgical removal of structural fabric be considered at the planning application stage in the form of a Temporary Protection Plan (TPP). A TPP identifies the potential risk of damage to the listed structure and outlines mitigation for any effects considered to be adverse.

• HISTORIC FABRIC SALVAGE/RECORDING: A systematic survey of the fabric to be removed and/or retained was undertaken as part of the planning application process.

• PPG 15 JUSTIFICATION STATEMENT: Heritage Architecture Ltd formulated the PPG 15 Justification Statement taking into account the impact of the proposed alterations and the integration of the new development. The statement demonstrated how the proposed works met the relevant clauses of PPG 15.