Plans have been submitted to breathe new life into an historic listed cottage in West Kirby.
Sea View on Darmonds Green was built in 1840 but is in a poor state of repair having not been updated for decades, and lying empty for the last three years.
The house, which forms one half of a semi-detached development, was listed by English Heritage in 2013 for being “virtually unaltered” with an interior that “shares a good level of survival”.
The attached property was not listed due to changes made when it was refurbished in 2012.
The hall and stairs
A heritage statement submitted with the application states: “It has been vacant for three years and was not actively maintained prior to the current owner purchasing the cottage, which has led to it deteriorating to an unlivable standard.
“There is evidence of past leaking from the upstairs bathroom to the kitchen below which has caused unrepairable damage to the lathe and plaster ceilings to this room.
“Elsewhere, the timber floor to the left-hand front living room is in poor condition with evidence of mould.
“Ceilings throughout the cottage are in poor condition and have been subject to modern intervention including artex.
“The cottage does retain a number of historic features including some doors, timber detailing, flagstone floors and the staircase.”
The bathroom
A design and access statement says the applicant wants to “sensitively restore the existing fabric to bring the building back into habitable use” and to carefully restore this neglected heritage asset, whilst enhancing the street scene and the neighbouring context”.
As well as restoring the property and reinstating the original fireplaces, the proposals include adding a driveway, removing a former outbuilding and adding a ‘work from home shed’ in the rear garden.
The roof will be repaired, the sash windows replaced with exact replicas, and a heat pump and solar panels will be installed.
The heritage statement concludes: “The Proposed Works will ensure that any new alterations are sympathetic to the design of the existing buildings and reflect an understanding of the significance of the building.
“While some aspects of the Proposed Works will constitute ‘less than substantial harm’ to the building, it is considered that this harm should be balanced against the wider benefit of bringing this building back into an active sustainable long term use that includes the incorporation of sensitive adaptations to increase the energy efficiency of the building.”
Photo credits: residentarchitects.com
