Man fined £5,500 for knocking down 19th century glasshouse at listed Droitwich property - The Droitwich Standard

Man fined £5,500 for knocking down 19th century glasshouse at listed Droitwich property

Droitwich Editorial 22nd Aug, 2015 Updated: 17th Oct, 2016   0

A MAN who demolished a 19th century glasshouse in the grounds of a Grade II listed walled garden in Droitwich has been ordered to pay more than £5,500.

Duccio Latino Senese Baldi, 51, of Cummins Farm Cottages, Worcester, pleaded guilty to carrying out the works when he appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court.

The fines and costs have to be paid within 28 days and the glasshouse will have to be rebuilt.

It was on September 3, 2014, when a member of the public spotted that one of the two houses in the walled garden of Westwood House, Westwood Park, was being knocked down and contacted Wychavon District Council.




Council officers, who went out to investigate, found one of the glasshouses had been almost completely demolished and the glazed timber frames and broken glass from the glasshouse had been thrown into a skip.

The walled garden property, which Baldi jointly owns, is part of the Westwood House estate and includes Westwood House – a Grade I listed building, registered historic park and one of the most important historic listed buildings in the area.


The glasshouses, built in the 19th century, were judged to be fine examples of their type and, subsequently, had been restored in 2005 as part of an ‘exceptional’ listed building planning permission. The agreement required the owner at the time to repair and restore the glasshouses, the kitchen garden and the 18th century garden wall. He was also able to build an architect designed house against the kitchen wall.

Sue Marsh, Wychavon District Council’s planning solicitor, said she was pleased with the outcome of this prosecution as it helped highlight the need to protect historic, listed properties in the district and the need for owners of such properties to be aware of their responsibilities when it came to preservation.

Recruitment

Find a career you'll love with our free career finder website.

Advertising

Advertise with the Droitwich Standard to reach your audience

Printing

We can provide all of your printing needs at competitive rates.

Reader Travel

Check out all of the latest reader travel offers to get your hands on some free gifts.