Shirley Croft Hotel under threat - Act Now

I sent this recent press release to the Grantham Journal and was delighted they published it. We were all shocked to see the state of the Shirley Croft building since developers removed the roof tiles from one entire wing.

Full details of the application S11/2065 can be viewed on South Kesteven District Council planning site: 



I worked with local planning officers and local residents. We managed to stop the developer doing further damage and from removing any further materials from the site until the scheduled meeting of the Development Control Committee on 18th October 2011. Unfortunately nothing can be done legally to insist he protect the wing now left open to the elements.

A leaflet has gone out (please see below) to as many residents as possible in the local area to encourage them to comment on the development proposed which would see the end to this historic building - one of the few left in Grantham from the industrial era.

I also plan to speak to Malcolm Knapp, our local historian to find out more about the building if possible before I speak at the Development Control Committee.

Councillor Charmaine Morgan, St Anne’s Ward,

45 Harrowby Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG31 9ED

Tel: 01476 574748          e-mail: charmaine725@btinternet.com          Blog: charmaine-morgan.blogspot.com
 

ACT NOW HELP SAVE  

SHIRLEY CROFT HOTEL

As you may be aware from this week’s Journal, the Shirley Croft Hotel is facing demolition as a result of a recent planning application (S11/2065) made by a developer. However, a decision has not been made yet. There is still time to save Shirley Croft.

You can email, you can write and you can speak against the loss of Shirley Croft. Letters and electronic submissions must be made before 11^th October to Planning Officer Phil Moore.

Members of the public can attend the meeting of the Development Control Committee of South Kesteven District Council on 18^th October when a decision will be made. It is also possible to make a request to Planning Officer Malcolm Hall up to 48 hours in advance (Tel: 01476 406080) for a chance to speak at the meeting.

Grantham has few noteworthy buildings left and The Shirley Croft Hotel is worth saving. It was built in 1865 by the industrial entrepreneur Richard Hornsby who invented the first ever tractor, the tank caterpillar track and heavy oil engines which were to be used worldwide including powering the lighting of The Statue of Liberty, the Taj Mahal and Gibraltar Rock. It was the last home of the Earl of Dysart prior to WWII. During the war it was on the estate shared by St Vincents House and is rumoured to have housed Barnes Wallis, who designed the bouncing bomb. Shirley Croft was converted into a public hotel in the 1960s and was a popular venue for a local people for decades.

The developer proposes to demolish the existing building and to build 8 dwellings. They started demolition work (without prior consent) before the meeting on 18^th October. Thanks to a joint effort, working with local residents and officers, we got the demolition stopped.  The Shirley Croft Hotel site development plans can be viewed on:- Website: www.southkesteven.gov.uk/planning - Application No. format: s11/2065. If you don’t have computer access you can write to:

Case Officer P W Moore, South Kesteven District Council Development Services, Council Offices,
St Peter’s Hill, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG31 6PZ

I plan to speak against the demolition of the hotel. A housing development will not replace this historic building and South Kesteven District Council development strategy refers to the conservation of such buildings. I will note be able to vote on this matter as a Development Control committee member as a result.

The fate of this landmark building is in our hands.

If you want to save this building please contact South Kesteven District Council before it is too late. Better still, please also let me know your views. Please keep my details for future reference. See my blog for latest news. You are welcome to contact me with any other concerns you have.

All the best – Charmaine