Planning consents for Grade I listed house challenged over ‘post-fire significance’ approach

The Georgian Group claims that planning consents given to the National Trust by Guildford Borough Council could have “far-reaching negative consequences” for heritage assets.

The main 18th-century house at Clandon Park suffered a devastating fire in 2015, which left only the façade of the property standing.

The burnt-out structure currently stands empty, having lost most of its original Georgian interiors, which the Georgian Group said were regarded as among the finest of their date.

The National Trust, which owns the property, later applied for planning and listed building consents, which were approved in November 2025.

The application said the works, which include building a new roof, would "return the existing building into a welcoming heritage attraction, cultural venue and events space in alignment with its established use".

The approval came despite comments made to the council's planning committee by the Georgian Group's director, Anya Lucas, who told members she was "hugely disappointed that almost none of our advice has been reflected in the harmful proposals".

Speaking to members in March 2025, she said the proposal should be rejected, arguing that the basis for assessing the proposals was "flawed".

She added: "The applicant contends that the application should be considered using post-fire significance as the baseline. They've pushed this concept to the limit, assigning a positive value to the burnt interiors.

"This approach attaches undue meaning to the random accident of April 2015 caused by a faulty fuse box in a way which many consider perverse and irrational."

She said it creates a "false equivalencies between burnt bricks and internationally significant plasterwork schemes that adorned them just 10 years previously".

The charity said it is concerned that the council’s planning decision relies on a concept of “post-fire significance” which, if upheld, could allow the historic value of damaged listed buildings to be reassessed in a way that weakens their legal protection.

In a statement announcing its application for judicial review, the Georgian Group claimed the council’s decision-making was "unlawful" and "sets a dangerous precedent" in terms of how the significance of historic buildings is assessed after damage or loss.

It said that the consents were granted without adequate consideration of heritage law and policy, despite objections to the proposals earlier this year and requests that the Secretary of State call in the decision for a public inquiry.

The heritage body has applied to the High Court for permission to proceed with the judicial review and, as a charity, has also sought a cost cap to limit its financial exposure.

Commenting on the litigation, Anya Lucas, said: "We are very concerned about the precedent these consents set for heritage assets more generally. If a public body can adopt such a radical approach to a Grade I listed building – which burnt only relatively recently and whose interiors are both internationally-significant and well-documented – what message does this send to the owners of more modest listed buildings of all types up and down the country?"

She said that it is the group's view that if the ‘Clandon consents’ – predicated on the notion of ‘post-fire significance’ – are not quashed, they will have “far-reaching negative consequences for heritage assets more generally”.

A spokesperson for the council said Guildford plans to respond to argue its decision is lawful.

Adam Carey