No listed status for Rickergate district
Last updated 21:10, Monday, 31 March 2008

CULTURE Minister Margaret Hodge has decided against listing demolition-threatened buildings in Carlisle’s Rickergate.

And she has turned down a request from MP Eric Martlew to list the head post office in Warwick Road.

Listed status protects buildings from the bulldozers.

Liberal Democrat city councillor Olwyn Luckley applied to have buildings in Rickergate listed in 2006, in response to Carlisle Renaissance plans to redevelop the area.

Her submission covered Adriano’s Restaurant, the former police station, the magistrates’ court, fire station and homes in Warwick Street.

English Heritage assessed these 1940s structures and also considered listing the Civic Centre as a classic example of a 1960s office block.

But the Department for Culture Media and Sport has confirmed that none had made the grade so far.

Mrs Hodge is, however, still considering a file on the possible future of the fire station. A decision has also not yet been taken on houses in Warwick Street.

The ruling is a setback for Save Our Streets campaigners opposed to the demolition of homes in Warwick Street.

And it is a boost for the city council’s Renaissance scheme to bulldoze the area to make way for a square with shops, offices and a hotel.

Those plans could still be jeopardised if the fire station is listed or if the findings of the local plan inquiry, due to be published by April 14, go against the council.

English Heritage’s report on the Civic Centre describes the layout as “unbalanced”.

It says: “Unlike the recently-listed Plymouth Civic Centre of a similar date, it did not form the centrepiece of a newly-designed landscape but sits almost awkwardly on the periphery of the city amid a varied townscape.”

It adds that an original decorative ceiling and water sculpture on the ground floor have been lost.

The report on the police station and magistrates’ court is equally dismissive. It says the filling in of two open courtyards and the addition of modern extensions has changed the building’s form.

Flood damage in 2005 led to the abandonment of the police station and the “removal of virtually all its associated fixtures and fittings”.

The Edwardian post office in Warwick Road is “architecturally indistinguished” and “too altered internally to recommend listing”.

Inspectors conceded, however, that it has “an imposing classical façade”.

The building’s future is now in doubt. It will close when counters transfer to WH Smith in English Street in May.

Royal Mail has said it will sell the premises but because they are in the city-centre conservation area, any buyer will need planning permission to knock them down.

Mr Martlew said he would study English Heritage’s findings before deciding if he should appeal against the decision not to list it. He added: “The important thing is to preserve the façade.”

Taken from The News & Star / [Link] / [Back to top]

Council backs city changes
Last updated 11:18, Wednesday, 12 March 2008

BIG changes to the way Carlisle Renaissance is run have won the backing of Cumbria County Council.

The Renaissance proposals were drawn up in response to the 2005 floods.

They involve major redevelopments of Rickergate and Viaduct Estate and improvements to the so-called “historic quarter”.

Carlisle city council, which is leading the scheme, wants to hand over day-to-day control to a Renaissance board.

This will have two representatives each from the city and county councils, one each from the Northwest Development Agency and Cumbria Vision, and six – including the chairman – from the private sector.

the city council backed the change last week and yesterday the county council’s cabinet approved it too.

Councillor Tony Markley, the cabinet member responsible, said: “This will provide an effective framework with which we can all move forward and provide more opportunity for the private sector to shape the projects to suit their needs.”

Opposition Labour councillors on both local authorities have doubts about handing control to a board dominated by business interests.

Councillor Michael Boaden, Labour leader of the city council, has promised a rethink of the Renaissance plans if he becomes council leader after the May 1 elections.

He said: “We are anxious that the membership of the board reflects the community.

“We need to ensure proper representation from public organisations in Carlisle and, most importantly, from residents.”

Taken from The News & Star / [Link] / [Back to top]

Cracks starting to appear in Carlisle Renaissance alliance
Last updated 19:38, Thursday, 06 March 2008

ALL-PARTY backing for Carlisle Renaissance proposals to redevelop Rickergate appears to have collapsed.

Opposition Labour city councillors are demanding a rethink of plans to demolish the Civic Centre, other public buildings and homes in Warwick Street to make way for a plaza, shops, offices and a hotel.

Labour leader Michael Boaden said: “Carlisle Renaissance to date has involved spending large sums on consultants to produce grandiose schemes.

“These are often half baked and unsupported by the public or indeed within the council.

“We need a fresh start, an early review and a focused public debate on the areas where we need to concentrate our efforts so we end up with a true renaissance for Carlisle.”

Mr Boaden is putting down a marker ahead of crucial council elections on May 1.

Labour needs a net gain of just one seat to take control for the first time since 1999.

The Renaissance proposals were developed in response to the 2005 floods. As well as the Rickergate, scheme, there are plans to enhance the “historic quarter” and redevelop Viaduct Estate.

Mr Boaden is also uneasy about proposals, approved by the council, to hand control to a 12-person board dominated by the private sector.

Cumbria County Council’s cabinet is also expected to back the idea of a Renaissance board when it meets on Tuesday.

Mr Boaden said: “We are anxious that the membership of the board reflects the community. We need to ensure proper representation from public organisations in Carlisle and, most importantly, from residents.

“Renaissance is too important to be left in the control of a set of hand-picked and unrepresentative people.”

The council’s leader, Conservative Mike Mitchelson, was furious at Mr Boaden’s remarks and accused Labour of playing “petty politics”.

He said: “Michael Boaden has been involved in many meetings where plans have been drawn up and discussed.

“He was at a workshop when the structure of the Renaissance board was developed.”

Mr Mitchelson added: “We are at the stage now when foundations are in place and things are on the verge of happening.

“Delay or changing our minds will put major projects behind schedule.

“Millions in investment from the Northwest Development Agency and the private sector would be lost to Carlisle.

“Petty squabbling by one section of the council is not doing residents any favours.”

Mr Mitchelson said the council had consulted “extensively” on its Renaissance plans.

And the bill for the consultants was being met by the Northwest Development Agency, not council tax payers, he said.

The Rickergate plans face stiff opposition from the Save Our Streets campaign too.

They could be scuppered by the findings of the Carlisle local plan inquiry or if Culture Secretary Andy Burnham lists any affected buildings.

Announcements on both are expected within a month.

Taken from The News & Star / [Link] / [Back to top]