Unique 1960s house is saved from development plan

Derrick Shorten previously wanted to demolish 71 Whitney Road

A house designed in the 1960s will not be demolished after planning permission was previously granted to knock it down and replace it with two new homes.

Derrick Shorten designed 71 Whitney Drive in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, in 1966 - four years after he worked as an architect on the similar-looking Coventry Railway Station.

His son, Jamie Shorten, planned to sell the property on behalf of his father and wanted to demonstrate what a potential owner could build on the site instead.

However, he said the eventual owners "like the property a lot" and, despite some planned improvements, have no intention of demolishing it.

Mr Shorten explained: "We have an owner that really likes the house - that's why he bought it - and he doesn't want to do anything that compromises the building.

"I wanted to show the idea that if you did demolish it you could do some decent architecture on that site.

"I wanted to encourage developers who may want to buy it to make something decent.

"We are pleased the new owners like the property a lot, they knew about the approval but they don't want to do that, they have always wanted to keep the existing building, that was always their intention."

Derrick Shorten was an architect who worked on Coventry Railway Station in 1962, which was also granted Grade II listed status

The application, approved by Stevenage Borough Council, would have seen the building replaced by two new homes - one with three bedrooms and one with four.

After the authority approved the demolition plans, there were concerns from architectural charity C20 Society, who then successfully applied to have the building Grade II listed and saved it from demolition.

The charity explained on its website it works to protect "irreplaceable" buildings that have existed since 1914 as "many are under threat".

Mr Shorten explained he was unaware of the application to list the building but insisted it was never his intention to actually demolish the property.

He said he would work with the C20 Society and the new owners going forward to ensure all future improvements to the 1960s house were in line with the architectural design.

"We will get that building into a state where its future is guaranteed, it needs improvements because it was built in 1966," he explained.