As Waverley acts against the developers, The Farnham Theatre Association has turned its spotlight on Brightwells Yard and House – and after 20 years, finds it wanting.
On 22nd April 2003, Crest Nicholson/ Sainsbury’s signed the original Development Agreement with the Tory Administration of Waverley Borough Council for the regeneration at East Street, Farnham.
Twenty years later, these parties have managed to create the half-finished site called Brightwells Yard. The finishing date moves ever forward as yet another problem emerges with this poorly thought-through development. The latest disaster is the unforgivable trashing of the historic architectural features of Grade II listed Brightwell House – and this miserable situation was achieved at the expense of losing the Redgrave Theatre.
Tomorrow we will post the comments of Waverley’s Portfolio holder made on Tuesday at the last Full Council meeting before the May polls.
This was Brightwells as it was – in its much-admired location.
Brightwells as it was — with the delightful Bowling Green
Brightwells as it is now — the desecrated exterior and surroundings
Brightwells now — the desecrated interior with views
STOP PRESS Following a “Call to fine Crest for Brightwell House breach” and threatened enforcement action by Waverley Planners, Crest agrees to remedy the western bay roof, but FTA supports Mark Westcott’s demand that Waverley insists that all the planning discrepancies be resolved.
Waverley – Dereliction of duty and desecration of Brightwell House
The FTA was pleased to see a spate of publicity about Brightwells, looking at the house in its heyday illustrated with many good photos. This compared so vividly to the photos above, showing the desecration inflicted upon this Grade II house by Crest Nicholson and how poorly it looks against its overbearingly high and close neighbours. Local architect Mark Westcott has also detailed the damages too much of its structure – the loss of certain doors and windows, the out-of-scale roofscape and more.
It is shocking that Waverley’s own conservation and building quality control people have not already come down hard on Crest Nicholson.
FTA has assisted Mark in compiling a record of events surrounding the fate of Brightwell House leading up to the present fiasco. Also our
While visiting the Surrey History Centre, archivists Peter Hunter and Chris Reeks collected early photographic images for Mark of the architectural features of Brightwell House.
Anne Cooper’s letter in that issue highlighted the history; it is in full in case you missed it. Our good colleague David Wylde wrote a letter urging Waverley to use its statutory powers to insist the restoration is in line with the regulations connected to the listed building status. Crest Nicholson’s permission to demolish our valuable theatre was given solely because Brightwell House was to be restored to its ‘former glory.’
Will commercial pressures now result in the theatre being gone and the house’s historic architecture trashed?
Here is Anne’s letter:
It is not only Brightwell House that needs restoring but also the collective reputation of Crest Nicholson, Waverley Borough and Surrey County Councils! The present fiasco over the ripping out of parts of the historic fabric of the Grade II house is the latest instalment in the long saga of cultural vandalism inflicted on this treasured part of Farnham, and it is time to bring it to a halt.
For those who do not know the history of Waverley’s long desire to get rid of the theatre, the situation may need explanation. The Local Authority had once made decisions over the Redgrave Theatre, which resulted in financial loss, and so decided to close the theatre. As it was such an embarrassment, the solution appeared to be resolved by sweeping the theatre entirely away in a grand regeneration plan. Brightwell House would have to go as well to offer an ‘unencumbered site’ to developers. However, further embarrassment awaited Waverley, as English Heritage (EH) thwarted the council’s attempt to have the house de-listed, and EH strengthened the listing.
Forced to reinstate the late Eighteenth Century Grade II listed house into the regeneration plan, Waverley needed to justify the demolition of the Redgrave Theatre under planning regulations for listed buildings. As the Redgrave Theatre was attached to Brightwell House, it formed part of the theatre, housing a restaurant, bar and other facilities. The Grade II listing status covered the theatre, and strict planning rules applied to any plans to interfere with it. The Redgrave could only be demolished provided certain planning conditions were met, and it appears now that Crest Nicholson may have flouted many of these.
The expectations were that Brightwell House would be restored expertly to its ‘former glory’ as a late 18th-century villa with nationally important historical connections. Without the Redgrave Theatre, the house would retain something of its former dignity. The demolition went ahead in 2019 but at a time when theatres were recognised as a worthy means of getting people into struggling town centres. In Farnham’s case, the theatre would have helped attract visitors and residents to Brightwells Yard, bringing trade to all those difficult-to-let retail units. It has dawned on our councils too late that the theatre could have been a boon rather than an encumbrance, and now we have Brightwell House looking a mess, with parts of its historic fabric mutilated. Another embarrassment!
Surrey County Council has taken on responsibility for the retail side of operations at Brightwells Yard. Will it insist that Waverley’s Planning Enforcement team dares to stand up for its reputation of being ‘tough’ on those who flout its planning rules? Are the two Councils strong enough to stand up to Crest Nicholson and demand that the developer restores Brightwell House according to its official accreditation? If not, the proverbial egg will be liberally spread over all three!
Yours faithfully,
Anne Cooper (FTA Chairman)
the Farnham Theatre Association Archives — can you help?
We always look for photographs to fill in the theatre archive collection gaps. We need more photos showing the Castle or Redgrave Theatre buildings (interior or exterior) and photographs of pro- ductions before 1970. We would be very grateful if you could scan them and send them to us by e-mail or a link to let us download them. We are also delighted if you send them to us so we can scan them and return them to you. Any loans or donations will be suitably credited to the records of the Association.
For a contact email, Anne is happy for you to use anne.cooper@farnhamtheatre.com if you wish.
It often helps to deliberate the National Planning Policy Framework. The National Planning Policy Framework is a material consideration in planning decisions. “Planning policies and decisions must also reflect relevant international obligations and statutory requirements.”
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-planning-policy-framework
Too often development monitoring and enforcement is too passive. “Effective enforcement is important to maintain public confidence in the planning system. Enforcement action is discretionary, and local planning authorities should act proportionately in responding to suspected breaches of planning control. They should consider publishing a local enforcement plan to manage enforcement proactively, in a way that is appropriate to their area. This should set out how they will monitor the implementation of planning permissions, investigate alleged cases of unauthorised development and take action where appropriate.”
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-planning-policy-framework/4-decision-making#para59