Westfield House: Listed 19th Century property to be converted into three homes
Plans to divide an historic early 19th century house into three properties have been given the go-ahead.
The development also includes building new detached house in the “extensive” grounds of Westfield House, near to Wakefield city centre.
The Grade II listed building, on North Avenue close to Pinderfields Hospital, was built in 1828 for John Hardcastle, a successful linen draper.
The house was later owned by leading Wakefield solicitor J.W Westmorland.
Westmorland Street, one of the city centre’s main roads, is named after him.
The current building owners applied to Wakefield Council for permission to convert the house into three separate dwellings.
Approving the scheme, a council planning officer’s report said: “The proposed development would ensure the character of this listed building would be preserved and would therefore be in keeping with the context of the site”.
A statement submitted on behalf of the applicants said it had become “too large for modern day living”.
The document said: “It is clearly the case that the listed building is too large to function as one dwelling and its conversion to three dwellings will ensure its long term future.
According to the report, only “minor international modifications” would be needed to divide the property.
It adds: “Given that there are no external changes to the building required to facilitate the change of use, by definition there can be no harmful impact on the character of the listed building.
“The subject property has evolved and significantly changed over many years.
“Its wider setting has changed, with the originally isolated dwelling being subsumed into the built up urban area, together with significant extensions and alterations to the building”.
The application also included the removal of “unsightly outbuildings”, to be replaced by a “sympathetic development”.
The statement added: “The proposal will not be harmful to the integrity of the listed building and will preserve and enhance its setting”.
A heritage report accompanying the application said much of the house was gutted by fire in 1985, thought to have been caused by an electrical fault.