Kitchen Design

[Sonyaclegg]

Hi all. This is a great forum and I'm happy to have found you. We have just purchased II* building. It's a shell at the moment. The kitchen has a huge inglenook fireplace and the kitchen company have produced a design whereby the cabinets wrap around the edges of the stonework, covering it up. They propose to cover the back of the chimney witht batons and attach a false wall and then tile etc. this work covers up the back of the fireplace and some of the stonework but doesn't alter it. Kitchen company advise this is permissible. Is it?

 

[worms]

Sonya,

Just to say welcome to the forum and bumping this up for others with real knowledge to consider.

For my own part, although I don't know whether the work is permissible, I would ask if it is advisable! Sounds like you have some really interesting features there, that many would give their eye teeth to have, and you are going to cover it all up? I'd tell the kitchen company to come back with a design that works with a II* building, not a Barratt box!

 

[Moo]

Any chance of some photos?

 

[Flyfisher]

I'm pretty sure the national figure for GII* properties is about 4% of all listed properties, so this classification is not given out lightly The property in question is described as "a shell at the moment", which suggests there is a significant amount of work to be done. Under such circumstances I would have expected the local council Conservation Officer to be involved in such a significant-sounding project (and, being GII* listed, any application for Listed Building Consent will also involve referral to English Heritage)

If the placement of kitchen units does not involve any disturbance to the existing fabric of the property then it could be argued that such work is non-destructive and entirely reversible, but it can be a fine line between non-destructive to the fabric but very detrimental to the function, form and ambience of the whole house. There will always be a wide variety of opinions about such works but the CO is only one person who can give a definitive answer to the question "is it permissible"?

From the English Heritage website at: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/your-property/planning-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-listed-building/

Can you give examples of what I can or can't do?
Each building is different and so there are no sweeping rules for what you can or can't do without consent.
Most buildings are very flexible but consent is needed for anything that might risk detracting from what makes that building special.

What does listing cover?
Listed status covers a whole building, both inside and out.
Common works requiring consent might include the replacement of windows or doors, knocking down internal walls, painting over brickwork or altering fireplaces.
It is always advisable to get advice from the conservation officer at your local authority to get a better idea about what it means in your particular case.

I would be trying to make contact with the relevant CO, invite them to visit and discuss your plans for the property. This approach has worked very well for our G2* house and the changes we have made.

 

[Sonyaclegg]

The work we want to do is entirely reversible and not damaging to the fabric of the building. The kitchen units just cover the bottom of the fireplace. We are restoring some of the stone segments in the arch of the inglenook as they are badly damaged. The kitchen is handmade bespoke and will work well with the building. Whilst some fit ultra modern kitchen in contrast with the age of the building, we prefer a kitchen that will sit well in the house and blend with it rather than fight against it. I was concerned about covering part of the fireplace but as we are not altering the fireplace and the kitchen units can simply be removed, I'm happy. Thanks for the replies