New home will replace bungalow destroyed by fatal fire in Cornwall
69-year-old Susan Crapp and her two dogs died in the blaze in 2017
A new house has been approved to replace a property in which a woman was killed after it caught fire.
Cornwall councillors have granted planning permission for the new home on Barbican Hill in Looe.
The original property was devastated by fire on New Year’s Eve in 2017 which claimed the life of 69-year-old Susan Crapp and her two pet dogs.
A planning application for the replacement home was approved by Cornwall Council’s east sub-area planning committee which met this morning.
Councillors heard that work on the new home had already started including a new workshop in which the construction worker building the new home is currently living in. Looe Town Council had supported the new proposals after consultation with the applicant.
A previous planning application had been withdrawn after concerns were raised about the size and design. As a result a number of changes have been made to reduce the size of the new home and to address concerns about overlooking from the property.
However a neighbour of the site said that he was still concerned about the planned new home and said that the revised plans did not address the previous issues. He said that it was a “much larger” construction than the original property and would harm the conservation area.
Planning agent Peter Bartram, speaking on behalf of applicant Mr Barker, told councillors that the new home would be built on “the exact foundations” of the original property and would be the “same dimensions as the original bungalow”.
There had also been concerns about the stability of the land and Mr Bartram said that a full report had been carried out and that structural engineers would be consulted during the development. He said that there would be no additional load on the site or the retaining walls at the property.
Local Cornwall councillor Armand Toms said that he had listened to Looe Town Council, which supported the plans, as well as the neighbour who still had concerns and thought it would be best for the application to go to the committee for a decision.
Committee member Barry Jordan proposed that the application should be approved in line with the recommendation from planning officers. That was seconded by Dominic Fairman.
Cllr Fairman said that he could see that the applicant had worked with planning officers and the town council to address the previous concerns and come up with a plan which would be acceptable. Committee chair Nick Craker said that it was important that a structural engineer would be involved with the development as it progresses.
The committee voted unanimously to approve the application.