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Harrogate church sub-station plan attacked
A WATCHDOG body has attacked plans to build an electricity sub-station in the grounds of an historic church.
The Victorian Society is objecting to the proposal to place the building on a former tennis court at St Wilfrid's, in Duchy Road, Harrogate.
The church, a mock Gothic construction, is the only building in the town which is Grade I listed and is one of only three per cent in the country which enjoys that status.
Grade I-listed buildings are those which are recognised as being of outstanding quality and of national interest. St Wilfrid's was designed by esteemed church architect Temple Moore.
Alec Baldwin, spokesman for the Victorian Society (which fights to preserve Victorian and Edwardian architecture), said: "This proposal might seem plausible on paper. Harrogate needs a new electricity sub-station and the church would benefit from a regular income to maintain this wonderful building.
"But it would be extremely damaging to the church. This is a clear case of the wrong place and the wrong building. We urge NEDL (Northern Electricity Distribution Ltd) to find an alternative site."
A spokesman for the Diocese of Leeds and Ripon said the plan had the backing of St Wilfrid's church council and a planning application would be considered in due course by the town's planners.
He said: "Because the building would be on church land, the plan would have to go before the Chancellor of the Diocese who would consider all the evidence before approving or disapproving it."
The spokesman went on: "The plan is said to be sympathetic to St Wilfrid's and the sub-station would be hidden from view behind the church.
"It would be built in local stone and would be a curved building which some consider would be quite beautiful in some ways.
"The income from NEDL would help to maintain the 1914 church which is dependent on funds raised by local people.
"As a diocese, we have been trying through the General Synod to get more government help for listed buildings. At present we can get grants only for specific projects from bodies like English Heritage."
A spokesman for NEDL said: "Harrogate has experienced an above average demand for electricity and to meet the growing need we plan to invest 10m in the network.
"We have been searching for a suitable site for the past eight years and none of the other 20-plus alternatives has been progressed for a number of reasons."
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Friday 25 May 2012
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