Plans to change a Grade II listed cottage in one of the Isle of Wight’s ‘chocolate box’ villages have been slammed as ‘damaging’.
The owners of Brookside Cottage in Calbourne’s famous Winkle Street are seeking permission to raise the roof, install heritage roof lights, extend the bathroom and add cladding.
Partial demolition
If approved, the work could also see the partial demolition of the cottage — removing an extension added to the back of the building in the 1950s — to make the bathroom bigger and add a storage area.
The extension would then be finished externally with timber cladding.
On the first floor, it would allow access to rooms in the roof space, as the door at the moment is approximately only one metre high.
Objection from parish council
Concerns have been raised about the plans by Calbourne, Newtown and Porchfield Parish Council which does not support them, saying it would be ‘damaging to the heritage associated with Winkle Street, which is a protected area’, in the Calbourne Conservation area.
Speaking at a meeting last week, parish councillors feared if the changes went ahead it would set a precedent for the other cottages in the street.
It was also said the roof lights would impact the dark sky initiative, adding more light pollution to the night sky.
View the plans
You can view the plans, 23/01540/HOU and 23/01541/LBC, on the Isle of Wight council’s planning register.
The public consultation runs until 6th October 2023.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
