After 11 months I've finally got it

[Greg.hart]

Well after 11 months 2 sets of LBC's (no you idiot taking 2 photos of the same windows from different angles is not going to get you retrospective permission for your rubbish uPVC windows) and more pain than I care to mention I've finally got my GII listed property.

Now the fun really starts as I replace the windows, try to sort out the damp and get the roof / beams looked at.

I've looked through the various places for tradespeople and the like and have a few possibilities but does anyone have any personal recommendations for people in / near Bristol area?

Thanks

 

[Nemesis]

Nope - I live nowhere near Bristol - but I'd like to hear about the house!

How did it end up with placcy windows?

Did the local authority take action?

 

[R King]

We have just applied for LBC to change modern windows, lime render where pebbledash currently exists , re-point in lime etc,etc. This has taken the best part of a year involving architect and CO's and whole lot of grief.

We believe that this painstaking (and costly) process is necessary to do the right thing for our beloved house. How peeved was I when the CO spotted lots of dodgy things on our neighbours' listed barn conversion and he said that he was going to turn a blind eye as he "didn't want to open up that can of worms." I could have weeped. Why do the rest of us bother???

 

[Nemesis]

Well as he probably has found out by hard experience, taking any action takes up vast amounts of time, money and in the end may achieve very little especially if councillors who have the final say think that everything's fine with the building.

 

[Greg.hart]

Nope - I live nowhere near Bristol - but I'd like to hear about the house!

How did it end up with placcy windows?

Did the local authority take action?

- prob will not work but is the one on the far left with the green door.

It's a lovely old Georgian terrace which alas they have converted into flats. Would really love to get the whole pace or part of it and revert it but think this could be out of the question.

I think that the previous owner just put them in and to be honest they are on the basement level and so the casual observer wouldn't really notice.
The hse wasn't advertised as GII so it only came up when he casually mentioned it during a viewing.

He then for some reason thought he could get retrospective permission (Estate agents advice I think!!!) and submitted a application which literally was just the forms, statement and 4 sets of photo's with before and after written on there as if he happened to have photo's of the previous windows knocking around. Obviously they were the same windows.

He moved to Spain in the end so we agreed to do a app to revert them back but whilst doing that the Council did slap on a 6 month enforcement order which we managed to extend to 9 to give us till after the Summer to get it done.

I am in love with the place although I do fear what else I'm going find that he has done, at least he was only there for 2 years so hopefully he hasn't done oo much damage.

 

[Greg.hart]

We have just applied for LBC to change modern windows, lime render where pebbledash currently exists , re-point in lime etc,etc. This has taken the best part of a year involving architect and CO's and whole lot of grief.

We believe that this painstaking (and costly) process is necessary to do the right thing for our beloved house. How peeved was I when the CO spotted lots of dodgy things on our neighbours' listed barn conversion and he said that he was going to turn a blind eye as he "didn't want to open up that can of worms." I could have weeped. Why do the rest of us bother???

This was my feeling as well, we wanted to do the right thing and really all I wanted / needed was the council to tell us what we should do - Spent months trying to get in touch with a CO with no success, only admin types giving me conflicting information. In the end went for belt and braces approach and when permission was given all it said was granted with the proviso of matching the windows above. I just can't see why that needed to take 16 weeks of pain.

 

[Nemesis]

Possibly because Conservation Officers are totally overstretched. Applying for anything from a local authority takes time and there may have had to be reports to committees also.

Hopefully you aren't on this:

http://www.bookofrandom.co.uk/bristolatrisk/documentary.html

http://www.bristol-city.gov.uk/conservation

Looks a smashing building!

 

[R King]

I do have to say that in defence of our CO he really is very good and yes, he is very over stretched.

It is just very annoying that there is no money to deal with those people who vandalise their properties.

 

[Anne]

I'm near chepstow and have used a couple people that I'm happy with. I'd be more then willing to swap names of contractors. E-mail me at: roseofraby@(takethisout)hotmail.com

 

[Greg.hart]

Possibly because Conservation Officers are totally overstretched. Applying for anything from a local authority takes time and there may have had to be reports to committees also.

Hopefully you aren't on this:

http://www.bookofrandom.co.uk/bristolatrisk/documentary.html

http://www.bristol-city.gov.uk/conservation

Looks a smashing building!

I do understand really, have a couple of friends who work for BCC and it does sound like they are very overstretch esp when you consider the amount of development going on and the historic nature of the docks etc which is where the majority of the development is going on. Just found it a bit painful with all the conflicting info

The Carriage works is such a bone of contention, the guy who owns it has been messing the council around for over the 10 years I've been here with repeated applications for development which he has no intention of following through but stops the compulsory purchase order going through. Waiting for the gentrification of the area before he sells I think.