Foxdale’s old schoolhouse is to be demolished to make way for two new semi-detached houses - one of which will be home for the current occupants.

The application (23/01164/B) was unanimously approved by the planning committee at its meeting last week.

Conservation planning consultant Patricia Newton objected to the proposal, telling the committee that the character of the village was being ‘systematically destroyed’.

She said that while not worthy of registration in its own right the ‘handsome’ schoolhouse building reflected the village's varied mining history and the prominent corner site should be renovated not redeveloped. The two-storey schoolhouse was built 180 years ago and is located at the junction of Kionslieu Hill and Mineral Terrace, not far from the landmark Clock Tower.

Applicants Alan and Pam Lemaire are long-standing Foxdale residents who bought the old school building 30 years ago as a family home. They want to demolish the old building and construct two semi-detached dwellings, one of which will become their new home. Set over three storeys, the new build will be finished with a mixture of grey-painted render, timber cladding and stone recycled from the demolished school house.

In his application, Mr Lemaire said he had lived in Foxdale all his life and the building had served he and his wife well but it now needed a lot of money spending on it, and the required works would not be cost-effective.

‘There are four separate roofs that all need replacing and every time there is a strong wind, we have slates that slip/fall and need to be replaced,’ he said. ‘We also have several leaks around old skylights that have buckets catching drips all year.

‘We have had a constant battle with woodworm over the last few years and frequently have to roll back carpets to treat floors. We don’t feel it is possible to make this building energy efficient and low maintenance.’

He added: ‘A new build will allow us to continue to live in the village into our retirement years, with a house that requires very little maintenance and has lower running costs.’

Recommending approval, planning officer Hamish Laird said the proposed development was acceptable in terms of height, depth, width, massing, scale and use of materials, and would represent an improvement over the visual qualities of the existing former schoolhouse.

He pointed out that the old building is not located in any conservation area and is not registered, and its age and architectural merits were insufficient to warrant its retention.

‘The proposal would represent an acceptable development of the plot which whilst different to other dwellings, would not be unacceptably out of keeping with the surroundings,’ he concluded.