Westminster City Council has successfully defended an appeal against enforcement action by the owner of a three-storey town house in Mayfair, who carried out unauthorised works to the Grade II listed building.
City of Westminster writes:
The owner’s application for listed building consent to create a sub-basement was originally refused in 2010 after the Planning Inspectorate agreed with the council that it would harm the building’s special architectural and historic interest. In 2020, the council’s Planning Enforcement Team discovered that the owners had ignored this ruling and had excavated the existing basement to enlarge it and also created a large sub-basement underneath.
Their investigations showed the owner had also carried out extensive unauthorised alterations to all other floors of the Grade II listed building, altering floor and ceiling heights, altering fireplaces, concealing and removing historic wood panelling, joinery and cornices, and installing air conditioning units to the rear of the property. In February 2023, the council served a listed building enforcement notice requiring the removal of the unacceptable unauthorised works, including the infilling of the sub-basement and the restoration of the floor levels of the original basement. The owner of the property appealed the notice, however, the Planning Inspectorate have now dismissed that appeal, again finding that the works were wholly unacceptable. The owner will now have to restore the Grade II listed building and the Planning Inspectorate also made a partial award of costs to the council for the costs incurred.
Cllr Geoff Barraclough, Westminster City Council Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Development, said:’I hope this outcome sends a clear message: those who ignore planning rules will be held accountable. It is simply not acceptable to carry out works that have been explicitly refused listed building consent. The owner showed a complete disregard for both our decision and the historic significance of this property. We remain committed to safeguarding Westminster’s unique architectural heritage.’
The Listed Building Enforcement Notice can be found at the following link on the Council’s website:
The appeal documents, including the Appeal and Costs Decision can be found here:
23/00039/ENFHB | Appeal against | 74 Park Street London W1K 2JX
