A plan to demolish a £2.95 million property near Ascot and replace it with two mansions has been rejected.
The site known as Charlecombe Hall is located in Chanctonbury Drive, Sunningdale, one of the most exclusive villages in Berkshire.
Charlecombe Hall was being marketed for a guide price of £2.95 million by property experts Savills as recently as August last year.
The main house comes with 10 bedrooms within an impressively designed three-storey house with a cottage containing two bedrooms.
As well as the expected sleeping, cooking, dining and washing facilities, it also comes with a ‘leisure complex’ complete with a swimming pool, spa, gym area, sauna and changing rooms.
The Savills brochure for the property states: “A magnificent period home, featuring a wealth of original features, measuring over 15,000 square feet and set in 1.32 acres of grounds, Charlecombe Hall has huge potential to modernise or redevelop (subject to necessary planning conditions).”
That’s exactly what development company Chartlake Properties sought to do, applying to demolish the house and cottage and replace them with two new six-bedroom mansions.
Justifying the project, planning agent Paul Dickinson argued that it would ‘widen the choice of high-quality homes in a sustainable urban location’ and ‘contribute to meeting the housing need’ in the Royal Borough.
Additionally, he stated the mansions would be ‘in the same general position as the existing house’ to comply with the ‘character and pattern of development’, as well as protecting existing mature trees.
However, these arguments failed to convince officials within the Royal Borough’s planning department, as the project was rejected.
READ MORE: Plan to replace grand house with two mansions in exclusive private estate approved
In a report on the project, planning officer Carlos Chikwamba judged that ‘proposals would result in a cramped and contrived layout’.
He also argued the two mansions would be ‘visually incongruous and dominant’ in relation to Charlecombe Hall as it exists now and the wider area.
There were also concerns about the impact of the development on the environment, as Chartlake Properties did not provide sufficient ecological information to determine what impact the development would have had on the habitat and protected wildlife.
READ MORE: Project to replace £3 million house with modern mansion making progress
Mr Chikwamba also pointed out that Chartlake Properties failed to make arrangements with the council to provide a ‘carbon offset contribution’ for the scheme to offset its impact, which is required within the council’s planning policies.
Ultimately, the project was refused in a letter by Adrien Waite, the head of planning at the Royal Borough on Monday, March 4.
You can view the rejected application by typing reference 24/00006/FULL into the council’s planning portal.
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