PLANNERS in West Devon have decided not to prosecute the owner of a Grade II listed Georgian house at Iddesleigh — despite major alterations to the building being carried out without consent. A recommendation by officers to pursue court action was thrown out by members of West Devon Borough Council's planning committee last week, but they warned they were 'not going soft on listed buildings'. Officers were of the opinion that the unauthorised works at Assh House, including the removal of bay windows, installation of replacement windows, new window openings, erection of a replacement porch and alterations to the rear staircase, had been so harmful as to bring into doubt its status as a Listed building. Planning officer Adrian Noon said the general theme was the 'Georgianisation' of Assh House when it had never possessed this Georgian authenticity. The application for retrospective listed building consent by owner Professor Ian Craft, who bought the building in 2002, was opposed by English Heritage, the Ancient Monuments Society, the Georgian Society and the Victorian Society. The council's conservation officer said the work had been 'so extensive and invasive to its original character and appearance, that it was unrecognisable from the descriptive listing text.' Ward member Cllr David Weeks said that in the 1970s, Listed features were removed by the then owner and the present owner had spent vast amounts of money to restore the building to its former glory. 'I see nothing wrong with having these features replaced with replica features, although some elements have gone over the top in my opinion,' he said. He said the work had been done by a man of integrity who had 'acted in faith on the advice of a previous planning officer'. He urged the council not to go down the route of prosecution because of the financial cost to West Devon taxpayers. Councillors reluctantly agreed to give retrospective planning permission but said they regretted that so many original features had been lost. They stressed the importance of building a good working relationship between the council and the applicant regarding any future applications and said their decision would not set a precedent for other listed buildings.
