Plans for new homes close to historic Chesterfield manor house turned down

Chesterfield Borough Council bosses have informed developers they have rejected the proposal for land to the south of Seagrave Drive, Hasland.

Officers say the reason for their decision is due to the ‘harm’ building on an area of open fields will cause to the nearby Grade II listed manor house.

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Chesterfield and District Civic Society chairman Philip Riden said it was not the first time plans for the site had fallen through – but he felt too much weight had been placed on the ‘historical setting’ argument.

He said: “A similar application was made in 2005, which officers recommended be rejected, although it was in fact withdrawn.

"It was accepted then that the land lay within an area deemed suitable for residential development in the Local Plan.

"The main objections to granting consent were that existing houses on Seagrave Drive would suffer from overlooking and that the scheme would adversely affect the setting of Manor House Farm, a Grade II listed building.”

Mr Riden said the building was ‘not a manor house in the technical sense of the word’ and has never had a moat around it.

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"It is an attractive house, rather heavily restored about 35 years ago to look a lot more like a 17th Century manor house than it did before,” Mr Riden added.

"It is (as far as is known) the only house of this type near Chesterfield which retains a late medieval great hall embedded in a later building.”

A number of residents on Seagrave Drive again wrote letters of objection to the development.

Giving the reasons for refusal to developers Taylor Trustees, Chesterfield Borough Council officers said: “Development of housing on the open fields to the west of the listed Manor House and associated barns will erode the remaining element of the original rural setting of these listed buildings and result in harm to their setting and significance.

"This harm is considered to be 'less than substantial harm'.

"As such the proposal is contrary to policy CLP21 of the Adopted Chesterfield Local Plan 2018-35 and Part 16 of the NPPF.

"The harm in this case is not considered to be outweighed by public benefits arising from this development.”

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