sea-mills-character-appraisal

5.37 Most post-WW2 infill developmentshave failed to reflect the character andappearance of the Garden Suburb, whetherby ignoring prevalent plot size, layout,scale, massing, rhythm or materials.Some developments, such as Garden Closeand the flats in Compton Drive, are of amodern design completely alien to theGarden Suburb. Others, such as SilklandsGrove and Abona Court, have introduceddisproportionate roof forms or alienelements that have impacted negativelyon the wider area. The infilling of plannedenclosed open spaces, and loss of housesand plots to enable infill, e.g. 9/10 ClaptonWalk and 44/46 West Parade, has also beena detrimental post-WW2 change.5.38 From the 1980s, many of the houses werebought by Council tenants under the Rightto-Buyscheme. Currently, approximately50% of the houses of Sea Mills are Councilownedand 50% private.5.39 Many newly privately owned housesunderwent material alterations since the1980s, notably changes to windows, doors,external finishes, the addition of porches orextensions, and front gardens and hedgesbeing replaced by parking areas.5.40 In the late 1980s, PRC (PrefabricatedReinforced Concrete) houses wereidentified as having potential structuralfaults. In Sea Mills, these included all theDorlonco type houses and the houses ofParkinson PRC construction (See housingtypes CNA2, MGB2, and WSB2). The CityCouncil undertook repair of the Dorloncotypesin 2005. However, the Parkinsonhouses were considered to have moreserious faults.5.41 The 1984 and 1985 Housing DefectsActs gave grants for private owners toundertake licensed repairs. At the time,the Parkinson houses were considered tobe too expensive to repair. 132 Parkinsonhouses, private and Council-ownedattached to a privately-owned property,were demolished and rebuilt (refer top. 22-23 Sea Mills Planning Brief 2008see Sources of Further Information). Asthe replacement houses were rebuilt inthe simple, flat-fronted and flat-backed,cottage-style characteristic of the originalhouses of the Garden Suburb, on theoriginal footprints, these houses still makea positive contribution to the character ofSea Mills. Some have a half-render, halfbrickfinish; a compromise between thePlanning Department, who wanted allrenderto match existing houses, and theHousing Department, who wanted a lowmaintenancebrick finish.5.42 A survey of the remaining Council-ownedParkinsons in Sea Mills, 2009/10, revealedthere to be considerably less structuraldeterioration than had been anticipatedin the 1980s. It is now known that all theParkinsons are repairable, an extensiveprogramme of repair by the City Councilis immanent (246 in total). In addition totheir inherent structural frame problems,many Parkinson houses have ground floorbathrooms, poor internal access and aresmall, making them difficult to be adaptedto meet lifetime home standards. Whenthe Council-owned Dorlonco houses wererepaired and overclad in the mid-2000s, theoriginal neo-classical door surrounds wereremoved and not replaced, to the detrimentof the original design. In most cases apitched canopy over the main door wasintroduced instead.5.43 Sea Mills was designated as a ConservationArea in February 1981, one of the earliestcouncil housing estates to be given suchrecognition. Following an extensivecampaign by the local community, theboundaries were subsequently reviewed andextended in 2008 to cover the full extent ofthe Garden Suburb.16. 1.