Issue - items at meetings - University of Sussex - Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement

Report of the Executive Director, Environment, Development and Housing (copy attached)

RESOLVED – That the Committee approve the draft Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement (LBHPA) for land use at the University of Sussex, for the purposes of public consultation.

56.1    The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director of Environment, Development and Housing seeking approval for statutory consultation on a draft Listed Building Heritage Partnership for eight grade I and grade II* listed buildings at the University of Sussex campus.

56.2    It was explained that new legislation had come into force in April 2014, under the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (the ERR Act), which had introduced new optional powers for listed building control. These included the power to make Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreements to manage alterations to major listed buildings or groups of listed buildings in the same ownership. It was noted that if agreed this would be one the very first such agreements to be made nationally under the new powers.

56.3    Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreements could be entered into between local planning authorities and owners of large scale listed buildings or major groups of similar listed buildings, setting out works for which listed building consent is granted (excluding demolition). The Council considered that it would be appropriate to enter into such an agreement with the University of Sussex, together with English Heritage, in respect of the several high-grade listed buildings on the campus (designed by Sir Basil Spence in the 1960s). Such an agreement would replace and review the current non-statutory Listed Building Guidelines that had been in place since 1997 and which had last been reviewed in 2002. The proposed Agreement had been very much welcomed by the University.

56.4    The Policy and Projects Manager explained that in the absence of an LBHPA, the University would need to make several applications for each building to address issues as they arose. This would avoid the need for the University to make repeated applications for minor works and would allow the University to plan strategically to carry out works for which consent had been given. This would save time and resources for the University, the Council and English Heritage. Consented Works would be subject to particular conditions (referred to in Section 3 of the report) and als clarified the position with regard to other types of work.

56.5    Councillor Brown welcomed the report and the strategy set out within it which in her view represented a win – for both the University and the Council. Councillor Brown concurred that it was appropriate for the Agreement to be subject to review.

56.6    Councillor Deane enquired regarding the level of protection afforded to the listed buildings on site and it was explained that no major works were anticipated in the vicinity of the listed buildings at the present time.

56.7    Councillor Robins referred to the use of buff mortar as referred to in the report and it was explained that when works were undertaken materials were used to mirror the existing as far as it was practicable to do so.

56.8    RESOLVED – That the Committee approve the draft Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement (LBHPA) for land at the University of Sussex, for the purposes of public consultation.