38 YEARBOOK 2025 a ‘lead’ for each HSHAZ project, a role taken on by existing officers alongside their ‘normal’ day job. Chard was one of ten HSHAZs in the south-west region. Much of the town centre is designated as a conservation area, but the HSHAZ boundary was drawn more tightly around the principal shopping streets: Fore Street, Holyrood Street and High Street. I was the Historic England lead for the Chard HSHAZ from late 2019, initially as maternity cover but then permanently, until its close in 2024. My role was to monitor the scheme for quality and risk, support decision making, give technical support and provide financial oversight, alongside internal reporting. In simple terms I worked as a conduit between Historic England and the local authority to ensure the project ran smoothly and achieved its main aim: to deliver sustainable growth by improving the public realm and buildings in the conservation area, informed and enriched by community-engagement projects. A separately-funded and managed cultural programme, Culturally Chard, ran at the same time. PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS Chard’s public realm improvements were part of a larger regeneration project in the town, so public consultation took place before the expression of interest was made by the local authority for a HSHAZ. The principal improvement, funded through the HSHAZ, was to refresh tired street surfaces and improve accessibility on Holyrood Street and outside the Grade II*- listed Guildhall. The historic rills (water gullies) on Holyrood Street and part of Fore Street were also repaired and restored. Due to supply and cost restrictions in the aftermath of the Covid-19 lockdown, the choice of materials were Forest Pennant sandstone flags and Spanish granite kerbs, although local Blue Lias stone was used to repair the rills. The Eastern Gateway area and various other small projects, including the refurbishment of a sculpture commemorating the aeronautical inventor John Stringfellow, were also completed using other funding, complementing the HSHAZ public realm work. The improvements are well-appreciated, and an ongoing maintenance plan led by Chard Town Council was put in place at the end of the project. HISTORIC BUILDING IMPROVEMENT The involvement of Historic England’s listing team enabled a thorough assessment of the architectural heritage of the town centre, resulting in enhancements to all of the List entries, either by the addition of ‘point-in-time’ photographs through the Missing Pieces Project or by revising and updating the List entry to current standards. HE’s architectural investigation team additionally contributed to the community engagement projects by providing records of building owners and shopkeepers. Initially, 25 buildings within the HSHAZ area were identified as most in need of improvement, but this list was whittled down to 15 priority buildings, with three seen as high priority. These were a vacant shop at 1 Fore Street, a restaurant at 2 High Street and a jeweller’s on Holyrood Street. Of these, only 2 High Street was improved through HSHAZ funding, although other buildings within the priority list received funding for redecoration and repairs to shopfronts. A new shopfront guide was also funded through this part of the project and was used to inform building grant works. At the end of the HSHAZ project there remained a large number of neglected buildings in the town. However, the improvements made through the HSHAZ appear to have given other building owners an impetus, with redecoration occurring across the high street. This should continue. Whilst all the grant recipients were worthwhile projects and have helped revitalise Chard’s high street, one in particular stands out: No 9 Fore Street (listed Grade I). It is part of a complex of buildings (7 to 13 Fore Street) which had been on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk (HAR) register for 20 years. The building was purchased by Somerset Rills in Fore Street and on Holyrood Street conduct water from springs and are part of the character of the townscape. They were repaired and restored where necessary using the local Blue Lias stone. The sculptures in Fore Street predate the HSHAZ. They celebrate local achievements and promote civic pride – in this case the first recorded use of powered flight by John Stringfellow. The widened pavement reduces the dominance of road traffic.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzI0Mzk=