A 230-YEAR-OLD rectory will be demolished, angering campaigners who say Basildon Council should have protected it.

The council approved plans by JAPHoldings to knock down the impressive Old Rectory in Church Road, Bowers Gifford, despite it being on a medieval site and considered a “heritage asset of regional significance.”

Council planners have insisted the developer hires a historic building expert to create a full record of the building first, but the building will still go and there will be no archaeological surveys required.

However, it has emerged the authority could have safeguarded the building if it had created a local list of heritage sites and added the building, which is recorded as far back as 1777 to it.

Steve Bates, who lives in a cottage next door, said: “Once you lose a building like this, it changes the whole look of the area and you will never get it back.

“It looks like there was a building on the site before, so you would hope there would have at least been archaeological surveys.

“I knew nothing about the local list and if that was an option I think the council should have considered it.”

The Rectory Society, based in Colchester, which campaigns against such demolitions, said in a statement: “To demolish an old rectory is to destroy half the significance of the church to which it is associated.

“The building is in a beautiful green belt setting with magnificent views across the Essex estuaries, which should be preserved and enhanced.”

The council agreed to the demolition last year, but in December JAP Holdings applied to do it without any historical records being made.

Now it will have to make records, but the building will still be lost, despite English Heritage, Essex County Council and Basildon Council initially recognising its significance.

The report said English Heritage described it as an “undesignated heritage asset” and “a substantial 18th century house”.

National planning policy states heritage assets should be “conserved in a manner appropriate to their significance”.

However, an application was made to English Heritage to have it listed, but it was turned down by the agency for not meeting criteria.

This led the agency to make no further comment when the second planning application was made.

Yet, the county council historic buildings and conservation team said it was “significant” to the heritage of the area with an internal layout largely untouched.

It advised a neighbouring moat was medieval and that it and the building were heritage assets, but had never been designated as such.

It added: “Externally, the building is architecturally important at a local and regional level.”

A report by planning officer Gordon Humphries acknowledged the council could serve a planning notice to prevent a demolition.

However, it said there were not enough buildings there to warrant a conservation area and the council does not have a local list of heritage sites in place, to add the building to, so this was not possible.

Brief history of the site

THE building has two storeys with attics and a cellar and was first recorded on the 1777 Andres and Chapman map.

A council report said: “The building would appear to be about 200 years old, or earlier, having been significantly altered and extended prior to 1948, to its present size.”

It was used as an office by surveyors EC Harris for 27 years, until 2012.

The whole site has 1.75 acres and includes the moat, dated between 1066 and 1539.

Stephen Metcalfe MP responds to Echo story

Stephen Metcalfe, local MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock has today spoken of his disappointment that the historic Old Rectory building in Bowers Gifford is to be redeveloped.

Previous attempts to protect the building through the English Heritage listing have failed, and plans have now been approved to demolish the building.

Stephen Metcalfe commented: “I am, of course, disappointed by the news that development of this historic site is  going ahead. It is a shame for local residents and the entire community when such a unique landmark is lost in this way”.

“However, had there been a ‘local list’ we may have been able to protect such an important and iconic local landmark. Being a predominately new town, our local heritage is sparse but our local identity is strong, that it is why it is important to protect what we do have.”

“Therefore, I will be contacting the local Council, firstly to see if every possible avenue truly has been explored to save the Old Rectory. Secondly, I will also be asking the council how we might proceed with starting the process of creating a local list, so that this can be avoided in the future.”

“As part of this process, I am asking that local people start to consider which particular buildings of interest they believe might be worthy of consideration for a local list. It is important that the views of local residents are heard on these matters and any process involved with protecting local landmarks should involve their opinions.”