Demolition of Burnholme Club

In January, demolition work began on this ‘fantasy villa’, aka Burnholme Club. We already knew this was going to happen, but I was still really shocked to see this photo.

Demolition of former Burnholme Social Club begins http://t.co/qaPn1CJece pic.twitter.com/oEk3XER4Jj

— The Press (@yorkpress) January 28, 2015

Looks wrong, doesn’t it. Like something from the 1960s.

Over the course of the last decade or so I’ve seen other buildings demolished, and some buildings saved and remodelled for new uses. It’s always nice to see buildings reused, and generally in the 21st century it seems we try hard to do that, where possible. So what went wrong here?

This landmark building, confident and handsome, with prettier details, could have been a desirable residence, if turned into flats.

Not economically viable, apparently. But still really very shocking to see it destroyed in this way. Really is like going back to the 1960s, and not in a good way.

See earlier pages on Burnholme Club for more background information.

Reynard’s garage/former Airspeed factory

This is really interesting. I’ve been banging on about this building for years, and I know I’m not the only one, and that many other people find it of interest and think that it should be preserved. The council, who own it, had apparently sold it, which, the available information suggested, meant it would be demolished and a hotel built on the site.

But no … I was rather pleased to read in the Press recently that all that had fallen through/been abandoned.

Why? Could it be that those with the power to affect such things realised it doesn’t look good demolishing interesting buildings, local heritage assets?

Perhaps there was some shame and embarrassment that the demolition of the Burnholme Club building was waved through with so little fight to save it.

Perhaps the new leader of the council read Nevil Shute’s autobiography Slide Rule and realised that this building is really very interesting and worth preserving.

Who knows. But there are now ‘new plans being drawn up’, according to the Press.

Do these involve the Yorkshire Air Museum? That would make sense.

Interest in 20th century history and industrial heritage is growing all the time. As is our awareness of place and local heritage. And the Yorkshire Air Museum wants to create a visitor attraction in the Reynard’s/Airspeed building, based in a particular place where at a particular point in the 20th century a particularly interesting venture got off the ground.

It’s kind of obvious what should happen, isn’t it.

Or if not that, how about today’s young entrepreneurs occupying it, instead of the Guildhall buildings, as that idea doesn’t appear to have massive popular support?

Background: all pages on this site on the Airspeed/Reynard’s building

Former White Swan Hotel, Piccadilly: looking good

Ah, the White Swan. I’ve never been inside the place, but feel as if I have, having read so much about it, written so much about it, over so many years.

I had a wander past a month or so ago, and it was quite remarkable, the transformation.

I love to see what people who know what they’re doing can do with old buildings seen as ‘eyesores’. This building, because of its prettiness and its copying of older styles, was seen as something worth preserving and renovating, despite its shabby appearance from decades of emptiness. It’s so good to see it rescued from its sad and useless boarded-up state, after so long.

See earlier pages on the White Swan, Piccadilly for more background.

Meanwhile, over in Holgate …

Perhaps the rather less pretty but particularly interesting Reynard’s/Airspeed building will also be rescued and remodelled for a new use after years of dereliction. And meanwhile, over in Holgate, I’m hoping that this significant reminder of our industrial and cultural heritage hasn’t yet gone the way of the Burnholme Club building, but I guess it won’t be long before we see photos of it being smashed to bits.

Carriageworks canteen, Holgate Rd, 27 July 2014

Not widely appreciated, generally forgotten, but the character area statement for this area — part of the Historic Environment Characterisation Project — recognises the significance of this former canteen, once part of the entrance to a busy workplace, and an important part of York’s story for many York residents:

The carriage works still function for the repair and maintenance of railway equipment and represent a significant survival of railway structures. The canteen buildings (1888) at these works have been nominated for inclusion on the Local List of Heritage Assets as the last remaining social building in the carriage works complex. Some buildings have unfortunately been recently demolished by Network Rail for health and safety reasons.

… Those buildings that have been recommended for inclusion on the Local List of Heritage Assets add significant value to the character of this area. The majority are intimately connected with the railway. Every effort should be made to ensure that these buildings are retained and kept in productive use. Their loss or inappropriate alteration would have significant impacts on the character of this area. Remaining historic railway and industrial structures should wherever possible be retained and sympathetically converted to practical uses. Many could be successfully integrated into modern development.

Source: PDF download from this page on the council website

Will York ever find a way to respect and preserve this building, as it found a way to preserve the White Swan on Piccadilly and may yet find a way into the future for the Airspeed factory? It is 2015 after all, it’s not the 1960s, we’re wiser now about ‘heritage’ in all its forms.

For more on the meaning and significance of the carriageworks canteen, see the other pages on this website.

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So, the demolition of Burnholme was approved yesterday at the Area Planning Sub-Committee.

I’m calling it Burnholme as that’s what it was called when it was built. Burnholme is now an area, a housing estate, on the grounds of this house. This building is now known as Burnholme Social Club, used to be Burnholme WMC, but it wasn’t built as a club: it was built as a house. And we, in the 21st century, should have had the wit and expertise to turn it back into residential accommodation.

But the plans were submitted to demolish it and the Planning Sub-Committee approved them. Some councillors present (or was it just one) spoke up for the building, thank you Cllr Brian Watson.

I’m not massively familiar with the complexities of the vast machine that is City of York Council: I just do my best to understand what’s going on and to connect on things that matter.

And this did matter, and many people think so, but the caring happened way too late in the day.

Not for the first time.

If it had happened earlier, would it have made any difference? Comments I’ve seen online and received privately suggest not.

I’m wondering how things can be improved in the future, because it’s really quite depressing to see such a short-sighted — and to many of us indefensible — decision made.

When I saw that the frontage of the Banana Warehouse was to be retained in the recently submitted plans for redevelopment in Piccadilly I thought this was maybe a sign that the ‘Local List’ had some weight at last. But clearly not. I also thought that in a city now so ‘gentrified’ a fancy old building like Burnholme would be valued — it could be turned into a desirable residence. But apparently not.

When passing the building years back, when this website started, I was surprised that its remaining grounds hadn’t yet been built on, that it had survived as it is. I can’t have been the only one. Perhaps it should have been realised earlier that this building was under threat and had no protection, and that someone would want it for housing.

Maybe the remaining land around it could have been developed with new housing, with this building refurbished? Apparently not.

After a quiet spell caused by the economic situation, this ‘building on the brownfield’ has taken off again with renewed momentum here in York. This seems to be the only option as there’s been so much opposition to building on the green belt. Which, in many areas, is nondescript land most of us couldn’t even identify, let alone sing the praises of. Those defending it say ‘once it’s built on it’s lost forever’ — which isn’t true. Lost in what way? Nature reclaims things if allowed to do so. (Go to Wharram and other deserted sites. Or look at our more recent brownfield sites.) But as clever as she is she can’t rebuild a Victorian fantasy villa. The craftsmen and builders of the time did that. And no one will do so again. And this is a particularly impressive example of their work. And this is what’s going to be lost forever.

The current ‘build build build and sod the consequences’ attitude doesn’t look like ‘progress’ and ‘growth’ to me: it reminds me of what I’ve seen and read of the post-WW2 period, when York destroyed many buildings we would now fight to save. It’s not progress at all, this decision. It’s like the 60s, and not in good way.

We can’t blame the club and its members. I don’t really want to ‘blame’ anyone. It just looks like a massive cock-up all round.

The post Burnholme Club, demolition approved: thoughts appeared first on York Stories.

. . . . .

Burnholme Social Club

If you’re reading this on Wednesday 7 August, and think this building shouldn’t be demolished, please register your objection. The planning application is being considered at a meeting on Thursday 8 August. Please also email your objection to the councillors attending the meeting (see list below).

Some suggested text below, which you could add to, or send as it is.

Recent objections have not been made available on the CoYC website. As the meeting is tomorrow I thought I should make them available:

Objection from the Victorian Society

Objection from the Ancient Monuments Society

See also (on the CoYC website): Cllr Dave Taylor’s objection (PDF) and other objections

How to object, option 1

Use this page to access the application, and log in to make a comment. You need to register first. Make sure you select ‘Object’ from the options. In the drop down, ‘Consultee response’ seems the most general and appropriate option. When you submit the form your comment should appear immediately in the list of documents on the ‘Documents’ page. Not under ‘Comments’, as you’d expect, which is just one of the ways the system isn’t very user friendly.

How to object, option 2

Use the text below, or your own (include the reference number), and send it to: jonathan.kenyon@york.gov.uk

However, these objections don’t appear to be showing up on the system, perhaps the planning office staff are overworked and haven’t got around to scanning/uploading them. So they may not have much impact before Thursday’s meeting, if none of us can see them. I’m hoping the councillors who are deciding the issue can see them …

You must include your name and address or your objection won’t be registered. This information is publicly viewable online during the time the application is being considered. (The documents are removed once the application is decided.)

And also: contact councillors

Please also send your objections and comments to the councillors attending the meeting on Thursday:

cllr.nmcilveen@york.gov.uk, cllr.igillies@york.gov.uk, cllr.hdouglas@york.gov.uk, cllr.brianwatson@york.gov.uk, cllr.asemlyen@york.gov.uk, cllr.jlooker@york.gov.uk, cllr.ffitzpatrick@york.gov.uk, cllr.jgalvin@york.gov.uk, cllr.icuthbertson@york.gov.uk, cllr.khyman@york.gov.uk, mark@markwarters.co.uk

(cut and paste this list into the ‘To’ field in your email)

No chance perhaps …

‘the applicants advise it is not economically viable to continue to use the building as a social club or refurbish it for housing. There are no planning grounds on which demolition itself can be resisted.’
– says the report here (PDF). ‘No planning grounds’ I think must refer to the fact that it’s not a Listed Building, and that the draft Local List it’s on hasn’t yet been formally adopted. Perhaps public pressure can save it? Worth a try?

It’s clear from comments like this one on the Press website that the building is in a bad state, and that the club needs new premises. But for it to be demolished rather than rescued and refurbished simply because it’s not suitable for their needs seems rather odd. If Shipton Street School (also a late 19th century building) can be saved and turned into residential accommodation, then presumably this building could be too.

Disclaimer

I am not an expert in planning matters. I’ve put this info online as I felt — having seen comments on the Press website — that someone had to. It’s all accurate to the best of my knowledge but if anything appears inaccurate add a comment or email.

More

Recent piece in the Press: Demolition of Burnholme Social Club set for approval

Earlier page on this site on the Burnholme Social Club

Information on the planning application:
planning application, information and documents, including the
Design and Access Statement (PDF – large file) (helpful for overview of the application and includes some history of the house).

Burnholme Social Club entry on the draft Local List

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. . . . .

Burnholme Club/Burnholme WMC, or to give it its posher name, Burnholme Hall. A striking building, which once had extensive grounds. It still has a fairly large open area around it, which is soon to be built on. Housing is planned for the site, and a new club house, more fit for purpose than this one is.

It isn’t a Listed building, but it does appear on the ‘Local list’, yet to be formally adopted by the council.

It’s a landmark building, and a charming one, rather a surprise in the middle of suburban housing on a much smaller scale. It has been used as a social club/WMC for many decades – since the 30s, apparently.

A speedway track was built on part of its estate, around 1930. This only lasted for a year or so. The houses of Burnholme Ave had covered the area by the later 1930s.

It’s a late 19th century house, built by W G Penty for John Bellerby. The Local List describes it as ‘a fantasy villa’ with extravagant towers and stained glass windows.

I wonder why so many Working Men’s Clubs ended up occupying these large old houses. The Lawrence St WMC was another in a grand old house. And as with Lawrence St, this building is obviously too expensive to maintain.

They don’t make them like this anymore, that’s for sure. Worth trying to save this building by lodging an objection to the planning application?

How to comment

Comments can be made via the council’s website:
planning application, information and documents, including the
Design and Access Statement (PDF – large file) (helpful for overview of the application and includes some history of the house).

More information

The Press: Homes plan for Burnholme Social Club

Information on the York Speedway track came from this website on defunct speedway tracks which uses text by David Poole, apparently a chapter from a book, though it doesn’t say which book. It’s worth a read, and includes a reference to the 1930s club house holding a ‘smoking concert’. How times change eh?

Thanks to Frank Ormston for alerting me to the existence of the Burnholme track.

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