Un used buildings .

[Cuchilo]

There are quite a few grand old houses and properties around my local area that are bought up by big companies and left to rot . Now I know the plan is to let it rot and then be forced to knock down the unsafe structure so they end up with a lovely big plot of prime land to build what they wanted too in the first place . Hanworth park house is a prime example .
The one property I cant get my head around is the church of St Lawrence in Brentford .http://www.brentforddockresidents.co.uk/stlawrence.php
From what I can gather the church leased the property in 1980 for 99 years to a trust . They seem to have sold it on to a developer and it is left to rot . The area has gone through a massive regeneration drive over the last few years so this land is prime land so why has nothing been done with it ?
I guess my confusion on this is that once the lease runs out they have to hand the property back to the church in the condition it was leased so letting it rot is only going to cost them more .

 

[classic33]

Churches usually have at least the one grave. Something that can make any building impossible.

 

[Cuchilo]

Then why get involved with it ?

 

[Beebo]

Is it a listed building?
There are very strict requirements for them, the owner is probbaly in some arm wrestle with the council over their legal requirements for upkeep.
I'd never buy a listed building.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

I'd never buy a listed building.

Nor me - but then I couldn't afford one in the first place

 

[Cuchilo]

I think I read it was grade 2 listed somewhere . Listed buildings are fun , I've worked on a few and although the conservation officers can be a bit touchy at times it is nice to do the work involved .
I'm actually working on some sashes for a conservation area right now and have a listed window to copy for my next job .
Thinking back to the church . Maybe the developer bought it so there where no complaints about the work going on for the regeneration of the area . If you own the property youre not going to complain about other work you are doing surrounding it are you .

 

[Hacienda71]

Listed buildings can be beneficial for a commercial landlord as they are exempt from empty rates legislation which can be a substantial financial burden.
Graves in many instances can be relocated through the process of deconsecration although this process in itself can be difficult and time consuming. As Beebo say there is some fairly strict legislation relating to the maintenance of listed buildings with the ultimate sanction iirc of the building being repaired by the council and the LA recovering the costs for anywork undertaken and even compulsory purchase of the building. Imho the damage to listed buildings is often due to the neglect and deliberate damage not being reported to or known about by the local conservation officer and or English Heritage. However sometimes conservation officers can be a total pain and often do not take a pragmatic line which ultimately may protect a listed building for years to come. Some seem to think that modern features in an old listed building should be protected while others view modern features as almost an irrelevance that can be ignored as they are not the reason the building is listed. EH on the other hand tend to be specific about the features of note in a listed building. Rant over
I am aware of instances where listed buildings have burnt down allowing redevelopment. If the fires have been deliberate or otherwise is to be proven.

 

[tyred]

I can think of several listed buildings which have conveniently burnt down around here and another that unfortunately got demolished "by accident" over a bank holiday weekend.

 

[raleighnut]

My old local 'The Magazine Hotel' was grade 2 listed so the developers stated they would keep the façade. This then 'conveniently' fell down.
Funny thing was they just happened to have stopped the traffic in time and one of the former regulars who had just left the Phoenix theatre (where she worked) saw and heard the charges they used to 'drop it'

 

[Fnaar]

Now I know the plan is to let it rot and then be forced to knock down the unsafe structure

i.e. wait till the listed building becomes a listing building

 

[Piemaster]

There are quite a few grand old houses and properties around my local area that are bought up by big companies and left to rot . Now I know the plan is to let it rot and then be forced to knock down the unsafe structure so they end up with a lovely big plot of prime land to build what they wanted too in the first place . Hanworth park house is a prime example .

This the place?
Try searching for 'urbex' and whatever the place is called. There are some rather sad photos of how these places end up

 

[Over The Hill]

Some building are very difficult to put to a different use and also with the much stricter building regulations it is harder to convert them.

My house is an old Methodist Chapel and it was difficult 25 years ago to get through regulations. I would hate to try it now.

I wish they would come up with some better way of fencing derelict buildings off. The horrid corrugated iron is a real eyesore whereas a tatty or run down church is not really too bad.

My place is thankfully not listed. I have spent every spare moment for the last two months working on it to re-paint the outside of the building. The original windows are metal, each with 42 small stained glass panes and there are 12 of them. That is over 500 little windows to paint!

 

[Cuchilo]

That's the one in Hanworth yes . A hotel chain has bought that one and have permission to turn it into a hotel . So they have left it to rot and when it falls down the land still has permission for a hotel . It really shouldn't be allowed to happen .