The wait over the future of 'one of Nottinghamshire's most precious buildings' has continued as the local council faces legal proceedings. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) has taken legal action against Broxtowe Borough Council after it gave permission to create homes at the rear of the Grade II* Willoughby Almshouses in Cossall.
The Almshouses were built in 1685 thanks to notable local resident George Willoughby, of Wollaton Hall, who stipulated they should house four men and four women of the ‘deserving poor’, but have become disused and increasingly dilapidated. Both planning permission and listed building consent was granted by Broxtowe Borough Council to turn the building into four residential properties, after the Planning Inspectorate decided not to intervene despite objections from Historic England, which argued there was no clear justification for what it saw as a "high level of harm".
But SPAB, which objects to the project as it believes the "internal demolition work and rear extensions" would damage the historic value of the building, then took legal action against Broxtowe Borough Council as it had not been consulted on the plans. The society has challenged the council with a Judicial Review of the decision to grant listed building consent, which is being carried out by the High Court.
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As a result, the planned works have been put on hold again, to the disappointment of the scheme's architect and the local parish council. Julian Owen, the architect on the project, said: "The whole point of the project is to restore the front of the building. The legal objection is a technical one, it is not about what is being done to the building - I think the only reason they would do that is to show this is what they think should happen.
"We have the unanimous backing of the planning committee and considerable support from local residents, including people who live next door to it. It is a fantastic building - it is definitely one of the most precious buildings in Nottinghamshire, easily.
"This building needs to be saved and at the moment that has been put on hold again, while the legal process is followed. Developers are quite often painted as the villains, but this is just not about making a buck."
The applicant, Gurjit Mahal, is not involved in the legal action over the project. Marie Gilbert, chair of Cossall Parish Council, has lived in the village for 30 years and explained the plan had garnered a large amount of support locally.
"It's not just the Parish Council, it's everyone who lives anywhere near them, who supports it. The front of the building and the wall will not be changed," she said.
"At the back it is horrendous as there are some extensions from the 1970s, which are as ugly as you can imagine. The proposed plans would be so much nicer than what is there and would preserve the building instead of it going into ruin.
"We love this building and we appreciate it, but we also appreciate there has to be some commercial viability for it. We want families to love it and for people to live in and cherish it again - for hundreds of years people have been grateful to call this building home, and that's what we want again."
SPAB claimed Broxtowe Borough Council had agreed permission to alter the Almshouses was "legally invalid" due to failure to notify the charity beforehand. The council said it was unable to comment whilst legal proceedings were ongoing.
Matthew Slocombe, director of the SPAB, said: “We are delighted that Broxtowe Borough Council has acknowledged the need to seek expert advice as part of the decision-making process.
"This is a right we have won over a century of campaigning and has been enshrined in law since the 1970s. We hope to ensure that the Willoughby Almshouses retain their public value and interest, as well as being useful for the future as housing.”
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