DC Casebook: Housing: Conversion - Mill conversion works ruled excessive

Planning, 5 March 2010

The appellants claimed that the two-and-a-half-storey building was in a poor condition, leading to removal of the millstones and some of the original machinery because of the risk of collapse. The council insisted that in any conversion the original machinery should be reinstated or the missing items recreated to preserve the history of the structure.

The council had unsuccessfully prosecuted the appellants for removing parts of the building without consent and was appealing the magistrates' decision. While agreeing that the removal of traditional items could not be condoned, the inspector gave significant weight to two structural engineers' reports advising that the building would collapse unless the millstones and cast iron shafts were removed.

Although removal of the items had harmed the building's special qualities, he noted that national policy does not favour wholesale reinstatement of lost, destroyed or superseded elements. It would be inappropriate in terms of authenticity to recreate the machinery in the building, he held. The appellant's failure to propose such steps did not count against the scheme, he held.

He decided that many aspects of the scheme were appropriate. However, he concluded that the proposed treatment of walls, ceilings and floors appeared to exceed what would be reasonably required to allow the conversion and would adversely affect the building's character.

DCS Number 100-066-104

Inspector Richard Poppleton; Hearing.