Neighbours left outraged by plans to build 'repulsive' new home on site of historic building
Locals had expressed their dismay about the property's potential redevelopment
West Norfolk Council
A controversial plan to knock down and rebuild a historic property in a Norfolk village has been blocked after furious villagers protested over heritage concerns.
The home, named Brownsea, in the coastal West Norfolk village of Holme-next-the-Sea, had long seen calls to be protected due to its links to British manufacturing pioneer Charles Bennion.
Leicestershire-born Bennion, who had founded British United Shoe Machinery, the largest manufacturer of footwear machinery in the world, had the property built as a seaside home by architect Shirley Harrison.
Brownsea had been labelled "one of the best examples of interwar architecture" by Parish Councillor Wendy Norman, while admiring locals had talked up its significance to the area's heritage.
Locals had expressed their dismay about the property's potential redevelopment
West Norfolk Council
But schematics to redevelop the property had been panned by residents as "repulsive".
One local nonplussed by the plans, David Hassler, had told councillors that approving the development would "set a precedent" for historic homes being demolished on a whim, adding that there would be "no public benefit" and "history... would be lost" if Brownsea were torn down.
But developers had hit back, arguing the plans were well within local planning regulations, and that the current building was "very dilapidated".
Chris Lindsey, an agent for the property's would-be developer, had tried to argue to local authorities that the new plan would future-proof Brownsea by making it more energy-efficient and flood-resistant.
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British manufacturing magnate Charles Bennion had had Brownsea designed and built
West Norfolk Council/Wikimedia Commons
Despite the furore, planning officials had recommended green-lighting the renovation on the grounds it would have improve the historic site.
But this was met with scorn; not least by committee Chairman Terry Parish, who called the new design "appalling" on the grounds "it has too much glass".
And another councillor, Michael de Whalley, had flagged concerns that a ground floor bedroom could be at risk of flooding in the future due to rising sea levels in one of the country's lowest counties.
Another councillor, Anthony Bubb, had called for committee members to visit the site before reaching a verdict, claiming developers may appeal any decisions not deemed "thorough enough".
But Bubb's calls were subsequently dismissed as unnecessary due to the sheer size of the body of evidence presented to the authority.
Eventually, councillors voted to refuse the planning application, backing residents' concerns it would harm the character of the conservation area.