Letter: Last Chance for Burchatt’s Barn to be Retained for Community Use

Published on: 24 Mar, 2019
Updated on: 24 Mar, 2019

Burchatts Barn – Photo Mandy Millyard

From Gordon Bridger

hon alderman and former Mayor of Guildford

Next Wednesday, March 27, 15 councillors will assemble at 7.30pm to decide whether planning permission should be given to allow Burchatt’s Barn, a Grade II listed building, designated in 1925 for community use “in perpetuity”, to be used as for commercial purposes.

In 1990, the council, at considerable expense, converted the barn into what became a very convenient popular community venue. David Clegg, Guildford’s retired conservation officer, correctly says, in a comment, that it is a near-unique facility as it accommodates around 100 people with all necessary facilities in an attractive setting.

It was a very popular venue until the present council decided a few years ago that it had to pay its way and charged impossibly high charges for peak time use. As a result, it has lain empty for several years.

The council then, last year, decided to advertise it to commercial users and awarded it under delegated authority to the Guildford Chiropractor Clinic rather than the Guildford Shakespeare Co (GSC) who desperately needed a new site and would have made it available for community use. The principal reason given was financial – which turns out to be an offer, of around £14k, per annum, more than that offered by GSC.

What would seem to most people a quite astonishing decision was made according to Cllr Manning, lead councillor for asset management, as chair of the Property Review Group on which Cllr Caroline Reeves sits. Ward councillors Matt Furniss, and Nikki Nelson-Smith, lead councillor for the arts and heritage were both informed of the decision and, as far as we know, have not objected.

Unfortunately, they had forgotten that the decision need planning change of use and had to be submitted to the Planning Committee for approval.

When publicised this led to one of the largest negative responses from the public, 82 in all, which included all the major residents’ associations – quite unprecedented. The objection from David Clegg, a retired GBC conservation officer who served the council well, is damning.

It was therefore with disbelief that I opened the planning officer’s report to discover that they recommended the change of use. Their conclusion was that, “The principle of development has been found acceptable“ that “there is no concern regarding its appearance, and while a degree of harm has been identified this is outweighed by the public benefit identified.”

The “public benefits” are not stated and as the clinic has facilities in Burpham already there is no public benefit. Approving “in principle” means that the community benefit which has been huge, and should be part of the assessment has been totally ignored.

I have seldom seen such an incompetent judgement – which should have been monitored by senior planners and dismissed. This seriously harms the credibility of GBC’s Planning Department

On Wednesday night the 15 councillors will have the opportunity to rectify this quite incompetent planning decision (see Clegg’s letter for reasons). It will be interesting to see if Cllrs Spooner, Reeves and Furniss who are on the planning committee will be present to take responsibility for the decision. While on its own the decision might be, to some, unimportant it, in fact, symbolises so much of what has gone wrong in recent years with our council and therefore has become symbolic.

The Planning Committee has a chance of rectifying this unprofessional advice or with elections coming up in May they can contribute further to an act of political suicide.