Council committee set to reject church hall repairs near Scarborough over ‘negative’ impact

The Scarborough and Whitby area planning committee has been recommended to reject the installation of uPVC window frames at St Laurence Church Hall in Scalby.

The circa late 19th Century church hall was originally constructed as a school and was extended by a flat roof extension on its southeast elevation in the 1930s.

The proposal, which councillors have been asked to block, seeks the replacement of 11 windows with uPVC frames and double-glazed units within both the original section and the later rendered extensions of the building.

The existing windows are timber and metal framed casements.

No objections were made by Newby and Scalby Town Council but North Yorkshire Council’s conservation officer said the scheme would have a negative impact on the conservation area.

The site is bound to the north east by the churchyard and beyond this, is the Grade II* listed building of St Laurence Church that sits on higher ground than the site.

The conservation officer said: “The site has historic, illustrative value, as a purpose-built Victorian school, later converted to a community use.

“The application site also has aesthetic value as a solidly built stone building with historic windows that add to the character and appearance of the Scalby conservation area.”

According to a council report, the main area of concern was that the uPVC frames would be thicker than the existing metal framing sections.

Officers said that “in terms of the existing windows, the slim section metal glazing bars are characteristic of the age of construction and the inter-war architectural style”.

They added that “a modern material in combination with the historic fabric, would detract from the aesthetic quality of the historic building” and the wider conservation area.

The Scarborough and Whitby area planning committee will meet on Thursday, May 8, to discuss the proposal which has been recommended for refusal.