Historic England withdraws objections to Spinning Point proposal

Historic England have confirmed they have withdrawn their objections to the proposals after seeing the revised plans.

Following a planning application submission by Rossendale Borough Council and Barnfield Investment Properties in December 2017, the design team met with Historic England to explore their concerns relating to the scale, mass and form of the building. Positive solutions were identified and amended plans were submitted earlier this month.

Historic England has now commended the significantly improved scheme, which:

• adds interest to the street scene through varied frontages,
• reduces the perceived mass of the new blocks; and
• reflects the local surroundings and responds to local character.

Historic England withdrew its objection to the proposals, on the 28th February, as a result of the revised plans fully responding to previous concerns in a positive manner.

Marie Smallwood, Historic England’s Inspector of Historic Buildings and Areas commented “Historic England no longer has any objection to the proposals, and would be pleased to see the scheme move forward positively, as appropriate.”

Councillor, Andrew MacNae, said of the news “It has been fantastic to work with Historic England towards revised proposals for Spinning Point. Our priority has always been to create a modern, fit for purpose development which is complementary and sympathetic to Rawtenstall’s unique heritage. The design team is committed to getting this balance right and has worked very closely with Historic England to fully understand and respond to its concerns. This is an extremely positive step towards realising Spinning Point and, I hope, provides some assurance to local people that we are listening to and acting on feedback.”

The proposal for a mixed-use development on the former Valley Centre site, includes leisure, hotel, housing and commercial uses set around a large, attractive public space suitable for hosting a wide range of events and attractions.

Spinning Point, Phase 2 revised designs and fly-through video can be viewed on this page.