SAVE salvo helps avert needless demolition of Victorian villa

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  33 Lyonsdown Road in December 2020 (Credit: Barnet Society)
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  The long conservatory at the front of the property (Barnet Society)
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  Early drawings of the property and grounds in the 19th century
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  The main reception hall with original panelling (Barnet Society)
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  The decorative main entrance onto Lyonsdown Road (Barnet Society)

3rd March 2021

Plans to demolish locally listed Victorian villa thrown out by Councillors

An eleventh-hour objection from SAVE Britain’s Heritage has helped save a locally listed Victorian villa proposed for demolition in Barnet, Greater London. 

Following over 150 public objections and a direct appeal from SAVE in early February, Barnet Council’s Planning Committee rejected plans to bulldoze 33 Lyonsdown Road for a block of 20 flats on grounds of harm to a locally listed building and the wider character of the area. 

SAVE had argued that the loss of the historic villa, which was locally listed in January 2020, was unjustified and risked harming the character of this historic area of Barnet and the integrity of the council’s local heritage list. We also questioned the applicant’s failure to consider retaining and converting the villa, which is in good structural order and currently occupied. 

With the application refused, SAVE is now supporting ongoing efforts by the Barnet Society to ensure the building is better protected from future threats and planning applications for the site. 

33 Lyonsdown Road was completed in 1867 as the home of a wealthy merchant and has remained in constant residential use since. The villa stands in a prominent position on the street with a large decorative conservatory as well as many original and unaltered Victorian interiors, including oak panelling, servants’ quarters, and staircases. 

ENDS

Note to editors

1. For more information and images contact Ben Oakley, Conservation Officer at SAVE Britain's Heritage: oakley@savebritainsheritage.org/ 07388 181 181.

2. SAVE Britain’s Heritage has been campaigning for historic buildings since its formation in 1975 by a group of architectural historians, writers, journalists and planners. It is a strong, independent voice in conservation, free to respond rapidly to emergencies and to speak out loud for the historic built environment.