They say no to her plan for a solar panel on the family home
Chiswick’s Eco-queen Livia Firth has failed in her latest venture to go green.
Though she is married to Colin Firth, star of ‘ The King’s Speech’, she fell foul of Hounslow Council planners in her attempt to put a solar panel on the family home .
According to Building Magazine, the Italian-born film producer had appointed an eco-consultant to draw up plans for their Grade II listed home in a conservation area.
But a planning inspector has ratified Hounslow council’s decision to turn down the proposal, saying the harm done to the area’s historic setting outweighed the environmental benefits.
The inspector, Roger Shrimplin, said the panel would be “unduly large”, adding: “It would erode the architectural qualities of the listed host building itself and would cause actual harm to the character and appearance of the conservation area.”
Mr Shrimplin also criticised several “errors” on the application, including the precise location of the panel on the house.
Ian Tant, senior partner at planning consultant Barton Willmore, said: “In this case, the inspector clearly felt that the design and positioning were both inappropriate.”
The decision is a blow for mother-of-two Livia, who has established a reputation as a green campaigner.
Livia set up what she called the Green Carpet challenge when she started to wear sustainable designer gowns to film premieres and events. She has enlisted top designers and A-List stars as part of her campaign, including Meryl Streep and Cameron Diaz.
She also has her own website devoted to sustainable fashion and had a shop selling environmentally friendly goods on Chiswick High Road.
ChiswickW4.com has asked Hounslow Council for a comment.
June 1, 2012
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