Plan to put at-risk Hull buildings on heritage list

Henson Villas next to Pearson Park was built in 1949 for single business women

A block of flats intended for single businesswomen and a Victorian doctor's surgery are among buildings in Hull that could be protected.

Henson Villas next to Pearson Park and John Symons House could be put on the Local Heritage List.

Councillors voted to list the former's GP's house on Park Row after a planning application to turn it into multiple occupancy flats was rejected.

If approved, they would join the 220 other city buildings on the list.

Properties on the register do not have the same level of legal protection that those listed with Historic England do, but councillors are required to take their status into account in planning applications.

Henson Villas are three blocks of eight flats built in 1949 and were designed for single women working in business.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, most of the flats are now empty or have become plagued by antisocial behaviour, with one subject to a closure order.

Although their doors and windows have been replaced they retain many of their original features including ground floor verandas and upper floor balconies.

The council still owns them, but their future remains uncertain.

John Symons House was built in 1862

The Victorian villa later served as a doctor's surgery and it is thought to be the last building of its kind in Park Row.

John Symons House on Park Row is the last Victorian home on the street

A council report said the building had also previously been at risk of demolition, with an application to tear it down approved though this had not been followed through on.

"The building is considered as being of historic interest to the city of Hull," the report said.

"It has architectural interest as been a surviving 19th Century villa, within an area which has been cleared of much of its 19th Century development."

Councillors rejected plans to turn it into a 32-bed HMO in July after planning officers said a proposed extension on the building would be a poor fit.

But applicants Townglow Ltd stated the only way to stop the building falling into disrepair was to find a viable use for it.

A scaled-back application for 23 bedrooms has since been lodged and is pending a decision.