Plans to replace doors on protected building refused

Albecq Farm in Retot Lane has been listed since 2016, with the exterior of the farmhouse, barns and roadside wall protected.

The property is historically important, as the exterior displays a rare survival of the original fabric, which dates back to the 15th century.

The property also has 19th- century barns.

The application sought to install replacement windows and doors. It was deferred over concerns, with the agent then providing details of the condition of the current doors of windows to justify their removal.

Planners decided that 10 of the doors and windows did not need planning permission, as they were exempt.

The replacement of two other of the windows would be allowed on a like-for-like basis, but a separate application was needed.

A timber side-hung door panel in a barn to the east was in a fair condition, so should be retained if possible, the planners said. They suggested other options be looked at, such as a roof-light, as an alternative to removing the door.

But the planners had major concerns about replacing six of the doors. ‘It is considered that these doors are in “good/fair” condition and positively contribute to the special interest of the protected building,’ the planning report states.

‘Consequently, their replacement would not preserve the character of the building and would not achieve a “high” standard of design.’

The property was sold for £835,000 in 2021.

Since then permission has been granted to demolish and rebuild chimneys, replace the roof covering and install a parapet. A further application was granted to demolish an extension, pigsties and rebuild

chimneys and erect an extension.

New plans have recently been submitted for a one-and-a-half storey extension to the south of the existing building.

There is also an application to convert the former Army and Navy stores on the road side into a one-bed house with a parking space.

n The live application can be viewed at https://www.gov.gg/liveplanningapplications