Published at 17:46, Saturday, 03 October 2015
A CUMBRIAN Grade II-listed building is finally set to be demolished.
Suttle House, on Carlisle’s Wigton Road, will be knocked down after listed building consent (LBC) was granted by members of the council’s planning committee. A building on the site was first mentioned in a map of Carlisle in 1746.
The application was made by County Durham-based ESH Developments, who will build 29 new homes on the land, having been granted planning permission by councillors.
The future of the Georgian property had remained uncertain for some time, with an application to build 27 houses and 14 flats refused in August 2006, although it was later granted following an appeal in February 2007.
Work to develop the area around the property then got underway but the plug was pulled following the downturn in the housing market in 2008.
Many people have voiced their opposition to the proposal, including Richard Wilson of Townhead Road, Dalston.
Making representations to the council he wrote: “The wide variety of internal features are of great interest and historic value.
“The fact that some are later insertions does not detract from the significance of the building, as they illustrate changes in fashion and contribute towards the social history.
“There is no reason why the house cannot be sympathetically converted into apartments, retaining the internal features.
“It has been done innumerable times with great success elsewhere in the country.”
In a letter to the city council dated July 29, Christina Sinclair of English Heritage said: “The current proposal to demolish Suttle House constitutes substantial harm to a designated heritage asset.
“The proposal fails to meet the tests of the National Planning Policy Framework and is therefore not considered to constitute sustainable development. English Heritage recommends that the proposal is refused in line with both national legalisation and the National Planning Policy Framework.”
However, others have backed the demolition of the house.
The developer sent letters to people in neighbouring properties.
Fifteen people responded directly to the city council case officer, with three of them objecting and twelve supporting the proposal
MCobb@cngroup.co.uk
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