The Gardens Trust is pleased that, following GT’s objections based on information from the Cheshire Gardens Trust, retrospective planning permission has been refused for damaging works to the Grade II registered landscape of the 18th century White Lodge, one of the gate lodges of Tabley House, near Knutsford.
Work had started to re-grade the land, plant trees, re-surface the access and create a turning circle without planning permission at Tabley gate lodge. Both the parish council and the conservation officer shared our view that the works cause significant harm to the setting of the listed lodge and degrade the character of the historic landscape. A high mound along the boundary of the site on the A556 screens important views of the historic building and completely undermines its historic character and value.
Other works to the driveway were deemed to be totally inappropriate in scale and materials and demonstrated no awareness of the sensitive nature of the site. The officer also saw the planting proposals as amounting to a change of use to residential land on a site in the Green Belt. The conservation officer’s report cited our objection and used the photograph supplied by Cheshire Gardens Trust in support of his refusal of permission for the changes to Tabley Gate Lodge.
This case, small in its way, underlines the importance of our network of County Garden Trusts and the Garden Trust’s dogged casework in identifying and opposing the incremental changes which nibble away at the historic significance of our landscapes.
