A property development company has been ordered to pay more than £55,000 after ignoring heritage planners and removing historic fabric and fixtures from a listed building without consent, according to the Lincolnite.
The Lincolnite writes:
Newell’s Projects Limited, its director David Newell and Paul Priestley, a site manager employed by the company, had all previously pleaded guilty to six offences relating to the removal of irreplaceable features at the grade-II listed Castle Moat House.
City of Lincoln Council took action against the three parties after discovering the unapproved alterations to the property, situated on Drury Lane, close to Lincoln Castle, in February 2016.
Castle Moat House was built within the moat of Lincoln Castle in around 1820 as a large family home. Further additions and improvements were made to it during the mid-19th century. Many of the historic features damaged or destroyed by the developer date from these periods.
The offences were:
- removing historic lime plaster wall surfaces in 12 rooms
- removing historic ceilings in seven rooms
- removing a section of historic roof purlin and rafters
- removing decorative cornices and skirting boards in four and 14 rooms respectively
- creating two new doorways through internal walls
- removing historic timber lintels.
At a sentencing hearing at the magistrates’ court, District Judge Peter Veits ordered the three parties to pay a total of £55,410. In mitigation, the defendants claimed that it was their intention to refurbish the house for use as a family home.
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