Pond to lose listed status once repairs are finished

OTFORD pond looks to have lost its proud and unique listed building status after English Heritage blasted work done to it by the parish council.

The organisation that regulates listed buildings in England has said work to reinforce the dilapidated stone pond walls with concrete has "effectively destroyed" the structure.

The 1,000-year-old pond is thought to be the only Grade II listed structure of its kind in the country and was listed in 1971.

But Sevenoaks District Council has now been invited by English Heritage to apply to remove the pond's Grade II listing once the controversial restoration work has been completed.

English Heritage historic buildings surveyor Zoe McMillan said in a letter to the district council: "I am less than impressed with the way in which Otford Parish Council has dealt with what were intended to be repairs to the pond.

"As far as I can tell from the material submitted the listed structure has been effectively destroyed." Permission for work to strengthen the walls was granted in 2002 but that consent ran out after five years.

The parish council started the work last year, after the expiry date, and was forced by the district council to stop and apply for retrospective permission.

Listed status means buildings should be protected from any major development work, which needs special consent.

The prestigious status has also been a source of great pride in the village.

On Thursday members of the district council's planning committee voted against granting the parish council renewed consent.

District council spokesman Steve Mandaluff said the committee felt the work would "fail to preserve the historic integrity of the structure".

Chairman of the parish council John Allen said district council plans were unrealistic.

He said: "The district council wants to freeze the pond in time, but rebuilding it to exactly as it was at the beginning of the 20th century is ridiculous.

"We don't want to destroy the pond, we want to keep it. It is a matter of safety," he added.

"We want to make sure the walls are fully supported and don't crumble when someone stands on the edge of the pond, or under the weight of traffic."

He added that the five-year planning consent was overlapped because it took a while to find a builder prepared to do the work.

"When we found one it had slipped our mind that the consent had run out. It was our fault," he said.