Erection of dwelling following demolition of existing dwelling, 4 Kaffir Road, Edgerton
Planning Application 2021/90247
Erection of dwelling following demolition of existing dwelling, 4 Kaffir Road, Edgerton
UPDATE: Planning application refused on June 28, 2021
Our strong objection to this application follows on from objections made to the previous application 2020/62/91143: Erection of Extensions and Alterations (within a conservation area) at this property. The previous application was for a building roughly 2.5 times the floorplan of the existing c1983 building and significantly damaged the setting of the neighbouring Grade 2 Listed Lunnclough Hall, which lies below it and which this site dominates.
Kirklees Council’s own Conservation Officer recommended refusal of this application citing numerous ways in which the application harmed the Edgerton Conservation area, the many ways it went against the council’s adopted appraisal for the Edgerton Conservation area and specific Local Plan policies and NPPF paragraphs which it contradicted. Huddersfield Civic Society fully endorsed these comments.
In summary, application 2020/62/91143 went against many of the objectives and principles established by the designation of Edgerton Conservation Area. Nevertheless, permission was granted subject to conditions.
It appears major building work is currently underway. Rather than this being an ‘extension’, photographs indicate what is effectively a new building being built around the previous structure. Observation from the nearest public highway suggests that the existing building itself may be deteriorating with gaps in the eaves suggesting it may no longer be waterproof.
Application 2021/90247 now seeks to demolish the existing dwelling and significantly increase the floorplan of the building, including the introduction of rooms in the attic, plus the addition of numerous windows and other features.
Huddersfield Civic Society strongly objects to this new application. There is no precedent for adding such a large new building into the Edgerton Conservation Area: its size, form, number of windows, dominance over the adjoining overlooked Grade 2 listed property and many other features, are completely at odds with all existing buildings in the Kaffir Road part of the Conservation Area. It clearly compromises the significant architectural and historic importance and setting of its surrounds.
The Society also objects on the principle that an applicant who has started construction should not be given permission, in a subsequent application, to make dramatic changes to the building already under construction, causing significantly more harm to the Conservation Area, beyond the permission for which conditional approval has been granted.
Because of the above, if no existing building is to be retained, the Society considers that this application should be considered as a ‘new building’, in which case both design and materials should meet the standards appropriate for any such new build within the Conservation Area.
In conclusion HCS again emphasises the fact that approval would set a precedent, totally contradicting the very values that Kirklees Council itself confirmed through its designation of Edgerton as a Conservation Area in 1976 and the later adoption of an Edgerton Conservation Area Appraisal, itself based on guidelines produced by English Heritage (now Historic England).
HCS would remind the Council that, in its own words, ‘conservation area status imposes a duty on Kirklees Council to preserve and enhance the quality and character of a conservation area.’ Approval of this application would not only contradict but undermine this statement. The local authority must not abdicate these duties if it is to retain credibility in protecting the town’s heritage.
Should application 2020/62/91143 be granted, Huddersfield Civic Society will consider requesting a call-in of this application by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, as the Society believes this application has national significance regarding the very purpose of designating a conservation area and formally adopting a conservation area appraisal.