Fight lost to save part of historic wall

Eight metres of Plympton structure will be reduced by 1.5 metres

A Plympton preservation group has lost its fight to save part of an historic boundary wall from being removed.

Officers from Plymouth City Council said that whilst the late 18th century limestone and rubble garden wall at The Old Dairy in School Lane had “charm” it had low significance in terms of heritage value.

Property owner Nathan Stonecliffe had applied to the council for permission to reduce eight metres of the wall by 1.5 metres claiming it was unstable and a danger to himself and the public.

The council’s structural engineer’s report concluded that although stable, the structure was “vulnerable” and the section should be removed as a safety measure.

A second report commissioned by the Plympton St Maurice Civic Association said lowering the wall section was “not essential” but it agreed with council’s engineer that it leaned inwards.

Traffic vibrations were believed to have contributed to the movement.

The report suggested a compromise by reducing the height by up to one metre or an alternative of localised rebuilding and reinforcement.

The difference in one metre and 1.5 metres was “negligible”, said the council’s historic environment officer at Thursday’s planning commitee meeting.

She said the wall was not listed but offered some historical context to the street scene.

“Assessing heritage on broader scale it’s at the lower end of being significant,” she said.

The reduced section of the wall would still measure between 2.2 metres and 2.7 metres and would be in line with, or exceed, other historic limestone walls in the conservation area.

But chair of the Plympton St Maurice Civic Association Linda Else said in statement there was no evidence of new cracking or movement and the wall could withstand high winds.

The association recommended the application be refused in its current form and the committee consider the use of materials recommended to reinforce it.

Cllr Terri Beer (Plympton Erle) said it was her firm belief that assets like this wall should remain in their current state

“If we start allowing historical walls to be removed we open the floodgates to other works in the conservation area that will destroy our history and St Maurice has a bucketful of history,” she said.

Cllr Patrick Nicholson (Ind, Plympton, St Mary) said the committee needed to recognise that much of Plymouth had no history at all as bombing during the second world war wiped out most of it.

He said it was important to reach a compromise so as much of the wall was preserved as possible.

Cllr Chris Penberthy (Lab, St Peter and the Waterfront) said it was better to take action now than to patch it up and it end up having a greater impact.

“This nibble is probably a nibble that will help the wall last longer,” he said.

The committee approved the application.