York Roundhouse

[60041]

Recent building work at York has uncovered the remains of the NER roundhouse that was demolished 50 years ago.
Information and pictures here:
http://www.rail.co.uk/rail-news/2012/re ... undhouses/

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

Fascinating - be interesting to see how locos will be turned now....

[2002EarlMarischal]

Too late in this instance of course, but I don't know whether it is the planning departments that were responsible for allowing our industrial heritage to be destroyed. I would have thought that many of our old railway buildings were of significance and should have been preserved or sympathetically converted.

Of course these are the same people who won't let owners breathe life into old agricultural buildings, with extra windows for example to add light , but would prefer to see them decay. They're also the same people who allowed the concrete monstrosities of the 1960s/1970s to be thrown up next to beautiful historic architecture.

The planners should have the duty to preserve and keep alive our architectural past.

For those who have ever seen the TV Show "Room 101", I would put all planning departments in to it and "throw away the key"!

[60041]

For those who have ever seen the TV Show "Room 101", I would put all planning departments in to it and "throw away the key"!

Unfortunately, that is exactly what the government is proposing and I think it will be a total disaster. Planning controls have resulted in quite a few historic building being allowed to rot, but they have prevented the destruction of many and I believe the problem is lack of control rather than too much.
Historic buildings and their surroundings should be given a much greater level of protection than they currently have and restoration and re-use could be encouraged by making repairs and renovation vat exempt, also local councils should be given the resources to employ more enforcement officers who could stop the infringements that cause so much damage.

[2002EarlMarischal]

We're on the same page really 60041, but your post is better thought out than my "emotional" one!

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

You are leaning against an open door with me. Having lived in a Conservation Area (Saltaire) I remember having a knock on the door after the landlord had repainted the house to inform us that the said front door was the wrong colour.

It was, at least, a genuine Salt front door, unlike many houses with plastic monstrosities set into the front of the house.....