Couple's bid to rebuild 'not for purpose' house with energy efficient replacement

A couple in Wigan want to bulldoze their traditional detached home and rebuild it with an energy-efficient property, complete with heat pumps and solar panels. The current house on the corner of Wigan Road and Coniston Park Drive in Standish has been deemed ‘not fit for purpose’, because of several 'poor extensions' and 'sub-standard fabric', according to a design and access statement submitted to planners.

New plans promise a mix of traditional and contemporary materials to ensure the new home is modern, ‘yet still sensitive to the surrounding area’. The applicants are Andrew and Jan Maxwell and they have had on-site pre-application meetings with officers from Wigan’s planning team.

The statement submitted to the town's online planning portal by architect Andrew Pye says: "The current house is not fit for purpose following several poor extensions and sub-standard building fabric." He goes on: “Written feedback has been received and the scheme has been amended to incorporate the changes suggested. The scale and mass of the property has been reduced since the feedback, as this was the main concern for the planning department.

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“The proposal provides a single replacement detached four-bed family dwelling, with separate single garage, linked via a covered outdoor seating and kitchen area.” The main part of the house will be traditional in form with a gabled section to the front elevation and a pitched roof.

A pitched roof is to be of natural slate, to match the existing dwelling roof and surrounding properties. The large glazed openings with dark-coloured window frames will provide a contemporary look and ‘improves the design both