Havering Council has approved a planning application from Amana Trust to convert and refurbish the barns, stables and storage structures in the grounds of Bower House, Havering-atte-Bower.
Amana Trust – a charity whose aims are to “advance the Christian faith” – already uses the Grade I-listed mansion for religious training purposes and submitted the plans for the farm buildings in November 2023 to provide extra student accommodation for their training centre.
In the planning officer’s report, the nine farm buildings are described as suffering from “significant degrees of dilapidation”, with some in “quite serious” ruins.
The charity therefore proposed demolishing three of the lowest quality buildings, building two new buildings, and preserving and converting a further two “as much as possible”.
The end result would be one ten-bed, one five-bed, one three-bed, and one eight-bed residential accommodation.
Also included in the proposal was improvement to two access routes, one for cars and the other for pedestrians, as well as additional car parking.
There was only one objection received by a neighbour, who worried that the plans would have an “adverse impact on the character of the village” and the green belt land the site lies on.
But, despite the planning officer raising “considerations” about the “principle of the development”, it was concluded that the accommodation would not have a “harmful impact on the green belt character”.
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The officer’s report said: “It is considered that the elements of the development would not be disproportionate, visually intrusive or have a harmful impact on the open character of the green belt.
“It is also considered that the proposal would have a positive impact upon the historical and heritage value of the Grade I listed buildings and the Havering-atte-Bower Conservation Area.
“The proposal is considered to be acceptable in all other respects and it is therefore recommended that planning permission be granted subject to conditions.”
The conditions include that the development should be completed within three years, landscaping should be designed with biodiversity in mind, and the construction should be carried out during the day.
