Background
Fuller Long HEA are delighted to have supported an application for the successful retrofit of a London townhouse to reinstate a single dwelling in Bloomsbury.
Site Visit and Heritage Statement
Westminster City Council
The grade II listed building, which is also located within the Cleveland Street Conservation Area and adjacent to the Fitzroy Square Conservation Area, had been converted into 2 flats in the late 20th century, incurring several inappropriate and damaging alterations to the designated heritage asset. The owner acquired the property with the intention to reinstate the property as one family home, but discovered that their plans were in contravention of policy 8 of the Westminster City Plan, which seeks to prevent the loss of residential units in the borough, and prevents the merging of flats where the overall size exceeds 200 sqm.
Fuller Long HEA undertook a thorough assessment of the property to identify the key areas of historical significance and highlighted detrimental features which were shown to harm that significance. Our heritage team were then able to demonstrate that the proposals would provide considerable enhancements to the historic interest of the house, which included restoring the historic front elevation, removing modern internal stairs and partitions and reinstating the layout of the original house. The Heritage Statement justified the proposed restoration of the building as the development would provide significant heritage benefits, in addition to improving the energy efficiency of the building and the character and appearance of the conservation areas in line with government policy.
Results
Overall, it was Fuller Long HEA’s professional judgement that the heritage benefit of the proposed works should outweigh the loss of one residential unit, and therefore on balance, be afforded more weight in the decision making process than policy 8 of the Westminster City Plan.
The council’s Conservation Officer was in agreement with our judgement, acknowledging that there was a ‘special regard to the desirability of preserving the building’ in which the ‘proposed works would not harm this special architectural or historical interest’. It was additionally noted that the proposal would instead ‘enhance the special interest of the listed building’ as well as contribute to ‘the character and appearance of the conservation area’.
The case officer eventually concluded that:
“When considering these benefits against the harm caused by the loss of a non family sized residential unit at ground and basement level and therefore non-compliance with Policy 8, it is considered that on balance the proposed amalgamation is acceptable and the application recommended for approval”.
