The terrace was suffering from structural problems including the subsidence of the front wall.
Disappointing to see the council approve a totally mismatched replacement, though. A very dangerous precedent.
I can’t believe in this day and age, that it’s been approved. I thought the days of plonking a modern new-build right in amongst the historical, went out in the 1970’s. I agree - a very dangerous precedent.
Hopefully this is just the cheap render. I don’t think you always need a like-for-like rebuild, especially on roads where terrace facades vary in height and style as is the case here.
(Although it is a shame with the amount of money changing hands in the housing market that there rarely appears to be any money available to spend on the house itself!)
A bit more thought about eaves, windowsills and entrance could do magic in avoiding the shoe box like look. The apparent mismatch in window sizes up- and downstairs is another architectural howler.
The age old argument of restoring heritage or destroying it through ‘creative and innovative’ design continues!
Some urban designers/architects will argue that respecting the architectural rhythm is a crucial consideration when its mid terrace like this. The house is part of a ‘pair’, with forms a symmetrical whole (irrespective of slight differences in window columns; these slight changes are found everywhere in Victorian terraces and actually add to the delight of the rows!).
This row is one of the earliest late Victorian terraces in the area and forms a distinctive northern character area. In Ladywell the same house design is a conservation area… The argument that the road is varied in character is probably irrelevant. Should the ugly post-war infill at the top end set the bar for what comes in the future?
Redevelopment of good contemporary architecture is welcomed, and in fact we’ve mapped where such redevelopment might be great!.. Location is important.
Don’t want to dwell too much on this particular case or design, because there will always be those who love it and those who hate it… What is key moving forward is how much do residents value the heritage streets, and what could the neighbourhood plan do to strengthen heritage restoration and pride… or should we just completely remove these policies and invite more ‘creative and innovative’ design like this?
This question stil remains wide open and the forum would llike some feedback on it… Should we set up a meeting to discuss?
Status Update:
The draft plan had some policies on respecting the heritage architecture of the neighbourhood. It also proposed designating areas of special local character (principally the Honor Oak end of neighbourhood), where that was emphasised. Feedback was generally pro-protection, but some comments come back saying the area is ‘not that special’ and therefore this was seen as a protectionist position.
The revised plan has therefore downplayed this, to take into account the call to allow innovation in design. However, has it now gone too much the other way? This planning decision could set a destructive precedent. The application also argued that it could be done with permitted development, but it isn’t as straight forward as that argument implies… So the planners need to make clear that position and the forum is seeking clarity here.
Also, since then different ‘areas of special character’ have been put forward, which we are now consulting on. Please take the time to comment before 18th August. Link here for comments portal: https://hopcroftforum.stickyworld.com/room/presentation?roomid=8#page/home
This has reduced the Honor Oak area, and included other areas. Not everyone on the steering group agree, but what’s needed is a wider view from the wider residents. Please do feed back the comments.
There are so many other heritage streets which are fantastic, and so maybe more work is needed to review street by street? The Heritage and Character assessment that was commissioned gave a good overview, but potentially a more detailed review might be needed. If there are any local volunteers who can help in identifying these streets, do get in touch.
Thanks