St Albans council blamed for damage to historic building (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

St Albans council blamed for damage to historic building

4:12pm Monday 5th January 2009 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

THE district council has been attacked for failing to look after a historic building which was badly damaged by fire last week.

The former rectory in King Edward Place, Wheathampstead, a grade-II listed building at least 400 years old, suffered damage to its roof, roof cavity and interior in a suspected arson on Tuesday, December 30.

Rick Sanderson of the Wheathampstead and District Preservation Society, said: "This building, thought to date from the 16th Century, is of great historic interest and stands within a walled garden adjacent to St Helen's Church

“This was an event waiting to happen. We have been concerned about the deterioration of the building for several years and have been pressing the district council to take enforcement action to get the owners to preserve it, or at least to make it completely secure and weathertight until its future can be decided.

"Some work to board up the building was done a few weeks ago, but this has proved to be ineffective because a gap in the fence was left at the corner of the site. This lack of effective action has resulted in further erosion of our conservation heritage.”

Since the former rectory stopped being used as offices for a factory in 2002, numerous planning applications for residential use have been rejected on the grounds that they would damage the building's historic character and appearence.

The district council has not yet responded to the Review's invitation to comment.