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Carshalton Forge saved as owners accused of "riding roughshod" over heritage
January 31, 2012 12:07 AM
By James Pepper in Surrey Comet
By James Pepper in Surrey Comet
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Council officials swooped in the nick of time to stop workmen demolishing a 200-year-old building.
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Work had begun to clear site of Carshalton Forge before planning permission has even been granted to convert the site into a car wash.
However the application has now been withdrawn following Sutton Council's dramatic intervention to halt the destruction of the 19th century site.
Police will now keep an eye on the site and the owner of the land has been threatened with prosecution.
Workers for Azim Nurcja, from Epsom, who had made the application to destroy the old forge, had already razed part of the site when the council stepped in.
The outbuilding which housed Forge Motors for 40 years, making it one of Carshalton's longest running businesses until its closure in December, has been completely destroyed. Residents of the historic village are infuriated at plans to "ride roughshod" over its heritage.
Andrew Candy, owner of the Mine Gallery on Carshalton High Street, said it was "shocking, scandalous and outrageous".
He said: "You can't go bulldozing a part of the village heritage, he clearly doesn't give a monkeys. The best place for a scummy car wash is an industrial estate, not Carshalton village."
Councillors Hamish Pollock, Alan Salter and Jill Whitehead from Carshalton Central Ward said: "Like our residents, we value our local heritage and believe that a car wash would be wholly unsuitable, as well as causing unacceptable traffic and parking problems.
We are all very concerned about the recent turn of events and want to maintain the historic nature of the area.
The Forge was once owned by the grandparents of the wife of one of our former councillors, Anne Dodwell nee Haydon. The Haydons played a big part in the history of Carshalton and were the local butchers. We do not want to lose that history."
Little remorse has been shown by the new landowners, who are expected to return with new plans in the near future.
Architect for the new proposed building Mark Tadman denied demolition work even begun.
He said: "During the recent high winds part of the building had been damaged."
Mr Tadman, who drew up the plans for the new car wash said: "The building next to the forge was the ugliest building I have ever seen."
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