Listed Birstall home subject to "constant vandalism" could become new housing

A Grade II Listed 18th Century Birstall home subjected to “constant vandalism” could soon be turned into new housing.

Clough House sitting off Leeds Road is part of a 0.9-hectare plot of land that has been earmarked for development. If plans are approved by Kirklees Council, 17 new homes will be brought to the derelict site, and apartments constructed in the existing house and barn buildings.

The southern part of the site would have six bungalows to “minimise the impact” on the listed building. The existing Clough House and barn would be converted into six apartments, with the buildings housing four and two homes respectively.

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A further eleven three and four-bed properties would be built on the north of the plot. On top of this, the site would have 30 car parking spaces, a shared garden, and access from both Leeds Road and Moat Hill Farm Drive.

This isn’t the first time plans have been submitted for the historic house, with multiple schemes thrown out over the years for one reason or another.

In 2020, an application to bulldoze Clough House and replace it with 30 homes was submitted. However, local campaigning led to the property becoming listed and the application was withdrawn.

According to the Design and Access Statement from Acumen Designers and Architects: “The site has been left in a derelict state since the 2020 outline application as the house was stripped in readiness for demolition prior to being listed.

“The site has been subject to constant vandalism since being left vacant despite best endeavours by the applicants to keep the site secure.”

More plans were put forward in 2022, this time for the building of 17 properties and conversion of the listed house and outbuilding but this never came to fruition due to design issues.

The Design and Access Statement concludes: “This site has several constraints, and any proposal must take consideration of the listed buildings on site.

“We have used the listed buildings as an opportunity to produce a design proposal which responds sensitively while providing much-needed housing in the area. The proposal is a celebration of the existing built heritage and sees a dilapidated building brought back into beneficial use.

“The construction of the new housing is essential to ensure the refurbishment of the existing house can be achieved in a viable and pragmatic manner.”

The target date for a decision to be made on the plans has been set at September 24, 2024.

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