SDO21407 - Heritage Statement: The Walled Garden, Church Road, Moreton, Dorset DT2 8RG

‘This Heritage Statement should be read in conjunction with the planning application consent application. The listed structures are a late Georgian garden wall with gazebos and an attached cottage, plus the former garden gate, now moved and reused as a lych gate. The structures are Grade II Listed and are located in the Moreton conservation area. In many respects the original function of Walled Kitchen Gardens, that is providing fruit, vegetables and flowers for a wealthy household, has now ceased. Labour is now far more expensive and there is a recognised shortage of workers for fruit and vegetable growing. Now the need to force vegetables is greatly reduced by the ease of importing vegetables, or the use of heated poly tunnels, or hoop houses, which are used on a massive scale. There are small numbers of walled kitchen gardens where a similar function continues more or less in the original form. At Englefield Hall, Berkshire, the walled garden houses a market garden. There are also some which have an adjacent pleasure garden such as Waterperry, Oxfordshire. Many are utilised as a garden centre such as Fawley, Oxfordshire. Others are associated with Grand Houses open to the public. They have also been used where security or shelter is needed, such as a tree nursery, or storage of caravans or similar. Many, many more have failed to survive and key features of them such as glass houses have disappeared. The proposal is for the erection of a single storey garden centre building for sales, adjacent to the north wall - that is in the traditional position for a glass house. It was originally proposed to site this building near to the cottage but the Pre-application response suggested a separation from the Cottage was desirable. It has to be recognised that Employ My Abiliy has been of public benefit in many ways which are as follows: • The walls, cottage and gazebos are used and maintained and are no longer at risk • The income generated from the use of the Walled Kitchen Garden and surrounding land is sufficient for the sustained maintenance of the Heritage Assets • The Pleasure gardens have been restored • The harmful use for caravan storage has been removed • The facilities provide much needed education and training for Special Needs students in a safe and secure environment • Provides parking for visitors to Moreton removing the need for parking on verges • Provides refreshment and toilet facilities for these visitors. It also has to be recognised that there has been minor harm to the setting of the Walled Kitchen Garden by the provision of functional buildings and indeed this proposal. This proposal is clearly the start of a rationalisation of the facilities at the Employ My Ability Campus which over time will restore the layout of the Moreton Walled Kitchen Garden to its historic form. This proposal should be welcomed.’