Forum Topic

Planning application to demolish and rebuild in Stamford Brook conservation area

There is a planning application with Hounslow Council currently for the extensive redevelopment of 13-24 Linkenholt Mansions on Stamford Brook Avenue. The plan involves the demolition and rebuild of this historic building with the addition of an extra storey and seven additional flats (increasing the number from 13 to 20). I urge anyone with an interest in protecting the aesthetic and social fabric of our conservation areas and preserving the integrity of these historic buildings to check out the developers’ plans.Please use this link to find details of the proposed demolition and rebuild: https://planning.hounslow.gov.uk/?cookieCheck=trueThen, search for the application using the ‘System Reference’ of:    P/2022/0274You have 21 days from the date of 26th March to submit your comments or objections (according to the notice on the lampost outside the property).Maria

Maria McHugh ● 1637d6 Comments

Looking at the planning documents, any demolition and rebuilding appears to be at the back of the building, with the front elevation being unaltered. What's puzzling is that there are also proposals to reconfigure the layout of the existing flats when they appear to be on long leases with the owners having share of freehold, which I don't see mentioned in the planning application. I'm sure the existing flat owners will have a view on this!

Peter Evans ● 1637d

bhounslow.sharepoint.com/sites/InternetLinks/pp/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FInternetLinks%2Fpp%2FShared%20Documents%2F-%20Files%20shared%20externally%20-%20%27Anyone%20with%20the%20Link%27%2FCAAs%2FStamford%20Brook%20Conservation%20Area%20Appraisal%20Jan%202021_compressed-2%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FInternetLinks%2Fpp%2FShared%20Documents%2F-%20Files%20shared%20externally%20-%20%27Anyone%20with%20the%20Link%27%2FCAAs&p=true&ga=1The extensive  link above is.to the LBH Appraisal.The authors state 'We hope this document will play a significant role in the future management of Stamford Brook Conservation Area and will be a guide for developers, residents and planners'

John Todd ● 1637d

On the face of it, this development could appear to be fulfilling the overall requirements of the Conservation Area guidance by restricting the main development to the rear and maintaining the existing front and side elevations.  What puzzles me are the proposals to completely remodel the internal layout of the existing flats when they all appear to be on long leases with share of freehold.  While the planning documentation says the freeholders from 2018 are Dorrington London Flats Ltd (who are making the application) the Land Registry has the freehold owned jointly by the leaseholders as Linkeholt Mansions Limited.  Interesting!There's a flat on the market right now for £675,000 with 'share of freehold' and 'full of original features' - though for how much longer we'll have to see!

Peter Evans ● 1637d

If the applicant has not correctly identified and served notice on those with an interest in the land i.e. the freeholder and any leaseholders then the correct procedure would be for this planning application to be made invalid by the Council until such time as they have.

Adam ONeill ● 1636d

Adam Beamish is probably the best person to comment, but my understanding is that anyone can apply for planning permission on any land, irrespective of whether they own it or not - the approval for planning is simply whether the building is okay and has nothing to do with rights to build. If planning permission were to depend on such rights, then the council would have to investigate each and every application to see whether someone had the right to build, including whether notices had been duly served, and the whole process would grind to a standstill

Andrzej Kowalski ● 1636d

I understand anyone can apply for planning permission for land or buildings they don't actually own - though quite why this is permitted - but there just seems something a bit odd about this case.  I can understand freeholders adding extra flats in the roof or extending the building, or replacing a garage block, but applying to reconfigure the layout of the existing flats in the building seems unusual, particularly if they're on long leases.  I was involved in a block where a developer speculatively applied to build extra flats in the roof space (but not to interfere with the existing flats) on the basis that, if they were successful, they would then buy the freehold.  The leaseholders had to get legal advice and go to considerable expense to fend them off, and there seems nothing to stop the same thing happening again.

Peter Evans ● 1636d