THE ''jewel in the crown'' of Glasgow's conservation areas is under
threat, says the Glasgow West Conservation Trust.
Claiming that the ''invaluable heritage'' of one of Britain's finest
examples of Victorian town planning is deteriorating through inadequate
maintenance, vandalism, inappropriate alterations, and poor-quality new
building, the trust has published a guide for property owners in the
West End and Partick. The guide covers planning regulations and offers
advice on repairs, alterations, decoration, and extension to buildings,
gardens, and backcourts.
Before carrying out alterations or repairs, owners in the West End
need to take account of Listed Building Consent. Some 260 buildings in
the area are covered by Listed Building Consent which protects the
exterior of the properties as well as interior details such as ceilings
and doors. Gardens, walls, railings, and outbuildings are also
protected. The planning department can advise on which buildings are
listed. The regulations include:
* Article 4 Directions. These cover all buildings in the conservation
area and mean that planning permission may be required for certain minor
alterations such as: cleaning or painting stonework, re-roofing with
tiles rather than slates, removing or altering chimneys, erection or
alteration of dormers or rooflights, and the erection or alteration of
boundary walls, fences, or gates. Installation of meter boxes, alarms,
and flues at the front of the property can also be covered. Erection of
satellite dishes or alterations to rear lanes may also require planning
consent.
* Consent for Tree Works. All trees in a conservation area are
protected by law. It is illegal to ''cut down, lop, top, uproot,
wilfully damage or destroy'' a legally protected tree without
permission.
* Repairs Notices. Owners of listed buildings are responsible for
keeping the structure in a reasonable state of repair. Neglectful owners
can be forced by the district council to undertake necessary maintenance
-- or the council can step in and carry out the repairs, charging the
owner for the cost. In extreme cases, the compulsory purchase of a
building can be undertaken if the council believes that an owner is
deliberately allowing a building to deteriorate to justify its
demolition.
Owners who illegally demolish, alter, or extend a listed building
without the necessary consents can face a fine, imprisonment, or both.
The guide also provides advice on carrying out repairs to stonework,
front doors, windows, roofs, ornamental railings, and outbuildings. The
cream and buff sandstone used on so many West End tenements was quarried
in Glasgow while the red sandstone came from Dumfries.
The trust urges the highest standard of stone repair to avoid further
deterioration. Planning permission is not usually granted for stone
cleaning on its own, but only as a part of an overall scheme to repair
the stonework of the building. The trust says that painting the stone is
not a cheap alternative. ''It usually causes rather than solves decay
problems,'' says the guide. ''Stone walls must be able to breathe; most
paints block the pores and trap moisture inside (especially oil-based
paints).''
The conservation trust is a registered company limited by guarantee
and a registered charity. It says that its primary purpose is ''to
conserve and promote the West End's unique Victorian architectural
heritage and townscape and the quality of life enjoyed by the rich
mixture of its residents.''
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