Proposal to Demolish Vine Lodge Blocked by Council Planners
Given further protection by being granted a local listing
Vine Lodge. Picture: Facebook
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July 12, 2023
An application (P/2023/1409) to demolish a historic house on Church Road in Isleworth has been refused by Hounslow Council planners.
Permission was being sought to build eight self-contained flats on the site occupied by Vine Lodge in the Spring Grove Conservation Area.
It was the second attempt over the last couple of years to redevelop the house parts of which date back to the beginning of the nineteenth century and it is believed to be the only surviving workers’ housing within the former Davies Estate. The more expensive Davies Villas, several of which still survive in the area, were built for the wealthy, but Vine Lodge was originally a pair of gardeners’ cottages. The three-bedroom detached house was sold for £1,350,000 in September 2021.
As with the previous application, there was a strong level of local opposition with 55 residents objecting.
In their report the council planners concluded, “It is therefore considered the proposed development would fail to respect the character of the wider Spring Grove Conservation Area. The Council expects any proposal for a replacement building within the Conservation Area to be
of an exceptional design quality, of which this is not. It is not considered the proposed development builds on the high quality design of what is existing on site or visible in the surrounding area. Without the submission of a Heritage Assessment or detailed Design & Access Statement, it is not clear how the proposal has been thought out and what design references are being drawn on for the new building.”
The proposals would also have led to the loss of 19 trees and the planners said that it had not been demonstrated that there would be any mitigation to limit the damage to biodiversity in the area.
Vine Lodge is now on a local list of listed buildings which gives it extra protection against any future plans to demolish it.
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