Expansion plans for tiny museum on edge of Bristol set to be refused

Plans to expand Frenchay Village Museum are set to be refused because of the “substantial harm” that would be caused to the former lodge’s heritage significance. The recommendation of South Gloucestershire Council conservation officers to reject the proposed redevelopment is despite support for the scheme from Winterbourne Parish Council and 19 residents.

Similar plans were approved by councillors in 2022 but because the building is associated with the nearby Grade II-listed Frenchay Park House, listed building consent is also required. But this was turned down last December because the scale of the changes was deemed too great.

Museum owners Frenchay Tuckett Society have now made some changes in the hope of overcoming the objections. However, officers are still unhappy with the designs and are advising councillors on the development management committee to turn them down when they make a decision on Thursday, October 24.

The proposals are to demolish the existing single-storey extension and garage and build a single-storey rear and a two-storey side extension with disabled toilets. Council cabinet member for planning, regeneration and infrastructure Cllr Chris Willmore (Lib Dem, Yate North) has referred the application to the committee following lengthy discussions with officers and the museum to try to find a solution.

She said: “The core of the listed building decision is a judgement about the acceptability of the impact. The building itself is not of core significance, it is one of the gate house lodges to a building of considerable significance.

“However you can no longer see the significant building from the museum, and between the two is a massive area of unsympathetic modern housing, with a massive car park and building opposite the museum in separate ownership. The application seeks to remove a dreadful garage that is a modern flat roof structure and introduce an extension to the lodge.”

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Winterbourne Parish Council said the museum was a great asset to the village and the alterations would enhance it so it could be used more frequently by the primary school. The changes to the design previously granted planning permission, against the recommendation of officers, are to keep a historic rear doorway exposed, a new canopy and window on the east side of the building and installing a historic-style iron fence and gate.

But in a report to Thursday’s committee, conservation officers said the previous concerns remained. They said: “While some limited changes have been made, overall, the scale of the extension would dominate its host and the design fails to achieve a level of visual separation that could be considered positive and complementary.

“Proposals would result in substantial harm to the significance of the curtilage listed lodge and less than substantial harm to the significance of Grade II-listed Frenchay Park House. The proposed extensions are significant in scale and would visually impact upon every elevation of the existing building.

“The previous refusal was clear in that the size and scale of the proposal was a significant heritage concern. As this concern has not been addressed, it is only reasonable to reach the same conclusions.”

They said the proposed extension would more than double the width of the original building when viewed from the front and that the two-storey structure would appear modern. The officers said: “Overall, there would be a significant change in character to the curtilage listed building as a result of the proposed extensions.

“This change would be demonstrably harmful… to the historic character. It is acknowledged that the expansion of the museum space would provide some public benefit.

“However, the public benefit would not amount to a substantial benefit that would outweigh the identified harm resulting from an extension which is neither subservient nor sympathetic to the curtilage listed building.” If councillors vote to grant permission, a new full planning application would be required because the listed building consent applies to the slightly different proposals that were given the go ahead in 2022.