Owner of 18th century cottage on edge of Renishaw Hall estate challenges council's delay on planning decision
‘The property's vacancy is a direct consequence of the delay in determining the applications’
The owner of an 18th century cottage on the edge of the Renishaw Hall estate is challenging a council’s delay in ruling on planning applications to re-roof the property.
Eighteen months ago, an agent acting for Alexandra Hayward, care of Fisher German, applied to North East Derbyshire District Council for listed building consent and permission to alter the roofing material on Coldwell Cottage, Southgate, Eckington from thatch to natural grey slate tiles.
The cottage, which has been empty for more than two years, fell prey to vandals over a weekend in July 2026. Windows and doors were smashed or damaged and boarding previously installed to protect the property against unauthorised entry was ripped and broken off.
An appellant’s statement of case, submitted as part of the appeal process, says: “This is not an isolated or unconnected event. The property's vacancy is a direct consequence of the delay in determining the applications, since the works cannot proceed and the building cannot be brought back into active use until a decision is issued. Each month of continued vacancy increases the risk of further damage and deterioration of this kind, and the cost of remedying it, including now the need to reinstate boarding that has itself been destroyed. The case officer has previously intimated that he is minded to refuse the application but to date we have had no determination.”
The statement concludes: “The appellant accepts that the proposal gives rise to less than substantial harm to the significance of the designated heritage asset. That harm is outweighed by public benefits that are direct, evidenced and significant, in particular the long-term reuse of a vacant listed building and the removal of a recurring cause of damage to the building's fabric.”
Coldwell Cottage, which is likely to have been the former agent’s house for Renishaw Hall, has water thatch roofing which is rotten in places.
Eckington Parish Council has expressed a preference that the cottage be rethatched.