Trust tries again with plans for Burley-in-Wharfedale apartments (From Wharfedale Observer)

Trust tries again with plans for Burley-in-Wharfedale apartments

9:34am Wednesday 25th July 2007 in Local news By Jennifer McKiernan

NEW plans for the Lawn mansion in Burley-in-Wharfedale aim to convert it into 29 new apartments, with a mixture of affordable homes and private properties.

Bradford Community Hous-ing Trust (BCHT) intends to submit a new planning application to convert the old building into 14 apartments and build a new wing of 15 apartments.

It seems likely that apartments in the original building will be for private ownership and the new wing will be for affordable homes.

Planning permission has already been obtained for the conversion of the mansion and the new wing into 24 apartments, but applications for funding have failed twice because the scheme would not bring in enough funds.

BCHT hopes that building five more apartments in the new wing will ensure the economics of the scheme balance out.

The Lawn mansion was built as a family home in the 1860s and became sheltered housing in the 1950s.

It gradually fell into disrepair during the 1990s, and its bed-sits had became dangerously dilapidated by the time management was passed to BCHT in 2004.

In September 2005, BCHT unsuccessfully applied to convert the existing manor house into 14 apartments - four one-bed and six two-bed flats plus four two-bed duplex apartments - and build a new wing of ten two-bed flats.

An application in December 2006 was made, again to convert the existing building into 14 apartments and build a new wing of ten, but was again unsuccessful.

A BCHT spokesman said: "In view of this decision and the tenders we received, it was not financially viable to progress this proposed scheme.

"In the next few weeks we are submitting a new planning application to increase the number of new residential units from ten to 15 without detriment to the overall development.

"We are working towards having new tenders for the whole scheme back by September 2007 and will continue to keep the local community fully informed."

Burley-in-Wharfedale councillor Matt Palmer (Con.) gave his backing to the application, which if successful could substantially increase the amount of affordable accommodation in the village.

He said: "It is very good news. I will look forward to the Lawn being used fully."