property
The game’s afoot The future of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s former home at Undershaw, in Hindhead, is far from elementary. By Nick Keith ndershaw was designed in the 1890s for Conan Doyle, who wrote some of his famous stories in the house, including The Hound of the Baskervilles. Now Fossway, the developer which has owned the property since 2004, has had planning permission to build a nine-unit residential development. Waverley Borough Council (WBC) Southern Planning Committee gave permission, with certain conditions for Fossway to fulfil. This has evoked a strong reaction from the Undershaw Preservation Trust (UPT), formed in 2009. Led by John Gibson, an architect and
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Holmes’ expert having published five books on the author, the Trust and opponents of this scheme seeking justice.. The Trust take the case to the courts. studioDirector John Gibson has given all his papers to a QC to see whether there is a case for contesting the planning decision through a Judicial Review. (English Heritage have warned that planning decisions can be overturned in court only if they are proved to be “fundamentally flawed in planning law”). The Trust is lodging a complaint to the local government ombudsman about the council’s
dealings with Undershaw – which stands out of sight of the A3 on the left having gone through the Hindhead lights heading south. A member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, John Gibson is prepared to put his own money into defending Undershaw if the Trust gets a positive legal response. The Fossway plans allow for a gazebo on a public footpath beyond the south side of the grounds from where people can view the site from afar. Fossway is required to meet the WBC conditions by September, and UPT must declare its intentions within three months of September
planning approval. A Judicial Review would halt any plans by the owners to begin work and prevent them from selling Undershaw until the Judge made the decision. The plight of Undershaw has ‘ gone national’ with the Trust campaign backed by Julian Barnes, Stephen Fry, Ian Rankin, among others, and the author’s descendants. Undershaw has attracted international press coverage in the US, China and France. John Gibson has put up a page on Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/undeshaw Robin Pellow, Waverley’s Head of Democratic Services, said: “Regarding Mr Gibson’s concerns around our handling of his application, he wrote to Waverley to set out his dissatisfaction with the handling of planning issues relating to Undershaw. “These concerns are now being dealt with through our complaints procedure and Waverley will respond to him within 10 working days.” The council’s views are available from the online link: Waverley BC, www.waverley.gov.uk Undershaw, www.saveundershaw.com
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Issue 24 September/October 2010