A prominent but ‘dilapidated’ building overlooking Cowes Esplanade and the Solent could be pulled down and replaced with two luxury villas.
Hamlet Court Regeneration has lodged plans with the Isle of Wight Council following years of talks, to demolish the unlisted building fronting Queens Road.
Two four-bedroom houses could replace the current Hamlet Court which was split into flats in the 1950s and saw the installation of two concrete staircases.
Fallen into a ‘general state of disrepair
Hamlet Court was originally built in 1832 in stages and was known as Harriet Lodge.
It is now said to have fallen into a ‘general state of disrepair’.
Detracts from the character of the Cowes Conservation Area
Planning documents, submitted on behalf of the applicant by agents The Manser Practice, say the building has now slipped beyond the point of reasonable repair and it detracts from the character of the Cowes Conservation Area.
They say multiple structural appraisals have concluded the building is unstable and due to ground conditions could worsen over the years.
The installation of the concrete stairs is also said to have contributed to significant internal and external structural distress.
Repairs not financially viable
Structural works to retain the building had been considered, The Manser Practice said in a design and access statement, but the scale of the work to repair the building would be very substantial and not justified in terms of financial viability.
Cowes Town Council were presented with the redevelopment project earlier this year and councillors questioned why the building would need to come down.
At the time, the architect of the project said trying to save the building would incur costs that could never be recouped.
Supportive comments
So far the majority of comments on the application have been supportive of the proposals, saying the current building is ‘an eyesore’ and in a ‘shocking state’.
The main concern raised by nearby residents is the proposed height of the two houses and fear the views neighbours currently have, may be ‘destroyed’.
One said,
“As an overlooking neighbour and near resident, I am delighted that the current eyesore is being removed. I do have a concern over the height of the replacement buildings but what is being proposed is certainly a significant improvement and a block of flats would be much worse.”
Proposals submitted in the early 2000s to knock down the court and build a block of 12 flats on the site were rejected multiple times by the Isle of Wight Council and finally the Planning Inspectorate.
View the plans
You can view the plans, 22/00884/FUL, on the council’s planning register.
The public consultation runs until Friday 12th August.
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
