Historic house of forgotten Chesterfield colliery to be demolished for modern home

The late 19th Century building is a prominent landmark on Newbold Back Lane, Chesterfield, and is thought to have once served as a small-scale owner or manager’s house of the nearby Reservoir Colliery.

A report to Chesterfield Borough Council’s Planning Committee stated: “The house seems to be associated with a relatively short-lived concern known as Reservoir Colliery, buildings and shafts are shown north of Back Lane on the 1880 mapping, and by 1900 further buildings including the extant house and shafts are shown south of the road, although by this stage the colliery is shown as disused.”

The authority’s conservation officer remarked that the property, which is not a listed heritage asset, could have represented the origins of the settlement, but a structural survey commissioned by applicant Dean Harper revealed it had fallen into disrepair over the years as a result of subsidence and damage from the roots of nearby trees.

The application therefore proposed the demolition of the house and construction of a four-bedroomed detached home in its place, complete with decorative brickwork and garage.

Planning committee members approved the application with the condition that the non-designated heritage asset be recorded in its current state to acknowledge the history of the site.