News

'Treasure' coach house to be demolished?

By Rebecca Connop Price
June 18, 2009

AN historic building in Yateley is likely to need to be razed to the ground because it is unsafe, according to a council report.

The fate of the fire-damaged Coach House – described in the report as a “Hampshire treasure” – will be decided by a committee of Hart District councillors on June 29.

Although the 19th Century Coach House, accessible from both Macrae Road and Old School Lane, was once a house, it had been converted into a hotel.

But the building had been boarded up for about five years and was becoming increasingly more derelict in recent months because of break-ins and vandalism.

Most of the copper piping and lead roofing was stolen from the building. There has also been evidence that teenagers were breaking into the site.

A fire that gutted the building on May 21 was the final straw.

At risk

The owner of the site, Terence Lyons, recently commissioned an appraisal of the property in order to get advice on the best course of action.

The report, drawn up by Upton McGougan Ltd, advised Mr Lyons to remove four of the five chimney stacks.

The report also stated that some of the walls were suspect. “The lime mortar appears to have lost most of its bond,” the report stated about the oldest area of the building, “with the mortar now resembling something like unbonded sand.”

The report concluded: “With the amount of structural problems now being experienced by this building, both inherent and following the latest fire, it must be questionable whether complete demolition is not only the safest, but also the only answer.”

Although not a listed building, The Coach House is in a conservation area, which means careful consideration is needed before permission can be granted to pull it down.

Hart District Council drew up its own report ahead of the meeting on June 29.

In it, conservation officer for Hart District Council Jo Evans said: “It could be regarded as unreasonable to insist that the owner restore the building because its condition is so dreadful. There is so little of the building to repair."

Danger

Len Chamberlain, of Willowford, Yateley, said the site had been dangerous for some time.

He said he was concerned that a young person might come to harm in the building.

He has been calling for measures to be taken to make the site safer for the past three weeks.

The owner of the site, Terence Lyons, could not be reached for comment.

| Submit Comments | View Comments (1)

« Previous Story | Next Story »

Most recent user comments 1 of 1

Show 15 | 25 | 50 per page

Maybe Mr Lyons should have taken steps, long before now, to secure a future for this building. One could ask why it has been left empty for years, when it could have been sold for renovation soon after it closed as an hotel. No doubt, though, he will profit even more handsomely when it is sold to a developer, who will probably squeeze the maximum number of 'luxury' dwellings on it. Yet another of Yateleys dwindling number of character properties bites the dust. Shame.