Demolition plan causes neighbourly strife

Apr 17 2009 By Vicki Eltis

Grandparents in Weybridge fear their 96 year old Tarrant home could be ruined if neighbours get planning permission to demolish an adjoining property.

Jane and Jeremy Lunn, have lived in Huntington Lodge, in Cavendish Road, for 29 years. The original home built by famous builder and developer the late W. G Tarrant in 1913, is made up of what is now Huntington Lodge and Huntington House.

A planning application was recently submitted to Elmbridge Borough Council by neighbour Nick Constable and his family, who hopes to demolish their property and build a two-storey detached home with a basement and a garage.

In 1965 the home was split into two separate properties, several years before Mr and Mrs Lunn moved in, in 1980, and, who have since then made it their home.

Mrs Lunn said: "This is our home. We are not objecting to them building a house on their land but we do object to our home being ruined. The homes are not divided by one partition wall, instead we have some 15 to 20 separate party walls, necessitating a plethora of detailed architectural plans.

"We've had to pay for all our own solicitors and surveyors fees. What if they are granted work and half way through run out of money? We have spent lots of money, time and stress over this and at our age it's a strain."

Mrs Lunn claims Mr Constable withdrew two former plans in 2008 when an 'avalanche' of objections from other neighbours and the St George's Hill Residents' Association were sent in to the council.

However, since then new plans have been drawn up and the St George's Hill Residents Association support the scheme.

Mr Constable says he has gone to extreme efforts to keep Mr and Mrs Lunn informed of the plans and even had a meeting with them and architects in December to show them the drawings and offered to build them an extension to the side of the house in keeping with the Tarrant home.

He said: "They agreed at first but changed their minds one week later."

All works, if approved, will be carried out to the Party Walls Act, and he says Mr and Mrs Lunn will gain about 500 square feet with the new extension and about 936 square feet of extra land.

He said: "We are not going to disturb their home. We are giving them extra home and have changed the designs on the advice of Elmbridge Council, to make their home symmetrical.

"Our home is old and is suffering from water problems and subsidence. We are not inconsiderate people. We have elderly parents and wouldn't treat people in a way we wouldn't want our parents to be treated.

"We have promised to finish their extension before we start work on the detached house, to avoid disruption. In the end we will both have a detached house."

Councillors will decide whether to grant planning permission at a planning meeting on Monday April 27.