A LONG running battle to alter a Grade II Listed building near Winkleigh continues to be unresolved following a meeting of West Devon's planning committee in Okehampton last week. Eyshe House at Iddlesleigh dates back to the 1820s and the Georgian building with extensive grounds was bought by the current owner, Professor Ian Craft, in 2002. He has applied to the council to make extensive alterations to the listed building, including removal of bay windows, installation of replacement windows, insertion of new window openings, erection of replacement porch plus the installation of new stair case and associated internal and external works. Although the planning issues with the property have been ongoing for more than 20 months the present application has been with the council since November 2006, and has sparked objections from English Heritage, the Ancient Monuments Society, the Georgian Society, the Victorian Society and the council's own conservation officer. The original application was submitted following a complaint to the council of alleged alterations having taken place without consent. The council's conservation officer, who was not present at the meeting, reported: 'The works to this building have been so extensive and so invasive to its original character and appearance that it is unrecognisible from the descriptive listing text.' The officer added the Grade II Listed building status had been 'irreparably and irrevocably affected' and that Eyshe House should be removed from the Historic Buildings List. Cllr Mandy Govier criticised the officer for not being present at the meeting. She said: 'We do not always agree with the views of the conservation officer and he should be here to justify some of the responses. This is a very serious application and a decision that could have serious implications for this committee.' Cllr David Weeks was also critical at the lack of information. He said: 'This is a moving target and I don't think we have been kept in the picture.' English Heritage previously recommended the application be refused and that enforcement action or criminal prosecution be initiated against the owner for previous unauthorised works. Area planning officer Adrian Noon recommended refusal 'on the grounds changes have unacceptably and fundamentally altered the special architectural and historic qualities of this Grade II Listed building.' He added the house had never been a perfect example of a Georgian house and that it had become a vision of the owner's view of the perfect Georgian property. Mr Noon accepted the house had already been greatly remodelled internally by previous owners at least twice in the last century. But John Milverton, a previous case officer for the planning authority and now the applicant's agent, said the report before councillors was 'factually incorrect'. He said: 'The building was near enough gutted by the previous owner and the building was just a Georgian shell when Professor Craft bought it.' Mr Milverton said the matter had been running for 20 months and in that time, nobody from the council had gone to speak to the owner. 'The conservation officer has not been out and spoken to the applicant and it appears the officer has washed his hands of it and would let it be de-listed.' He said in his experience this was not a hugely important listed building and it would be reasonable for the owner to make certain alterations. Jane Hart, the borough's chief planning officer, said it was English Heritage which had responsibility for de-listing buildings. She said responsibility for obtaining building consent prior to carry out works was firmly with the building's owners. The committee agreed to defer the application to allow the planning history to be clarified, to make sure the officer's report was appropriately updated and for objections by the Victorian and Georgian Societies and English Heritage to be circulated to councillors.
