An abandoned manor house was given listed building status after being earmarked for demolition.
The Victorian villa on Alexandra Drive in the Sefton Park area of Aigburth was given Grade II listed status this week due to its historic interest and rare features. It comes after plans were submitted back in September last year to demolish the building and turn it into 72 flats.
The planning application was met with wide-spread criticism at the time, with many people raising concerns that the proposed work would take away from the history of the area.
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A heritage statement prepared by Turley Heritage on behalf of The Sovini Group, the planning applicant, last year said the building is part of the Lark Lane Conservation Area. This means applications need to pay special attention to the desirability of preserving the character or appearance of the area.
However, the statement said due to previous alterations to the building, it's positive contributions to the area were low. The statement said: "Much of 34 Alexandra Drive's contribution to the character and appearance of the conservation area has already been lost through the poor design and materiality of later alterations and extensions.
"These changes have undermined its value as a higher status, late 19th century residential villa within a generous landscaped plot."
The planning application for the proposed demolition expired in December, with no extension granted. Historic England said reasons for granting the building Grade II listed status included "the rare survival of extensive decorative schemes" and the historic and architectural interest of the building.
This means any plans to alter, extend or demolish the building that affect its character will now require listed building consent.
Built in the 1860s under the name of Enmore, the manor house is believed to have been built for sugar refiner Charles James Crosfield, and named after his sugar plantation in Guyana. It later became home to the shipowner Gerard Lockett and was then used as a residential cottage until the early 1970s.
From the 1970s up until its closure in 2016, the building was used as a care home known as the Josephine Butler Nursing Home. According to the last inspection from the Care Quality Commission in 2016, there were just 12 people living in the home at the time.
Since its closure the building has fallen into a state of disrepair and many of its rooms have been vandalised.
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