Locals Reject Revised Sutton Court Road Plan

Say One Housing Group's design would have negative impact

The West Chiswick and Gunnersbury Society has rejected the latest design from the One Housing Group which plans to demolish a Victorian house in Sutton Court Road to build a new residential centre for people with mental health problems.

In a statement last week, the housing group had said it was committed to providing supported housing in high-quality buildings and had changed the design to one which they believed was more sympathetic to the conservation area.

However, the West Chiswick and Gunnersbury Society has said the latest design from the housing group would still have a "negative impact" on the character of the area. They want retention and renovation of the existing building which they say is of historical and architectural merit.

Revised plans for the house with trees removed for clarity - image OHG

Changes made by the Group include redesigning the overall bulk and height of the building, increasing its space from the road, redesigning the entrance, frontage and bay windows, changing the brick colour and incorporating more planting. One Housing group is a developer and provider of housing care and support and manages almost 15,000 London homes in 26 boroughs and surrounding counties. A public exhibition of plans was held last January.

A large number of local residents have objected to the group's application for planning permission to demolish the Victorian house and replace it with a new building. Locals claim they want to preserve the building for it's architectural heritage as it lies within a conservation area. That story can be read here

The West Chiswick and Gunnersbury Society said in a statement yesterday (Sept 23);

"Despite the changes made since January, the proposed building would still represent an overbearing and incongruous addition to the street scene of both Sutton Court Road and Barrowgate Road. As such it would have a negative impact on the character of the Wellesley Road Conservation Area and does not justify demolition of the existing building. The existing building is an attractive Victorian house of historical and architectural merit and is worthy of retention and renovation.

The poor state of repair of the building and the overgrown garden detract from its current appearance but these problems are easily remedied. The building has the potential to make a very positive contribution to the Conservation Area. Its replacement with the proposed building would compound the damage done to the architectural integrity of the Victorian townscape by unsympathetic development before the Wellesley Road Conservation Area was established.

The Society participated actively in the establishment of this Conservation Area because it wished to preserve the remaining heritage assets of the area."

September 24, 2013