A Victorian villa in Swansea will finally be restored to its former glory years after its entire frontage collapsed in a storm.
The front facade of number four Devon Terrace, in a historically-important area of Swansea near to Uplands, collapsed in stormy weather in October, 2019. Neighbours reported hearing a loud rumble on the evening of October 26, 2019, and one eyewitness watched the front of the property falling off. Rubble and debris were strewn across the area in front of the property following the collapse.
Since then, it has become an eyesore in the road, covered as it is in plastic sheeting and scaffolding. The home, which was built in 1860, is grade II listed and stands next to four other stuccoed Italianate villas that are immaculately kept to their original standard.
Before the collapse, the house was due to be turned into a family home by its owner, Kerry Bowden, who runs a building firm. Addressing the source of the collapse at the time he said: "Water was getting trapped on the roof because guttering was blocked by decaying parapet walls. When it went it was a big shock, nobody knew how bad the rotting was.
"Now we are clearing all the debris and will speak to structural engineers about the next steps for the property, so it's up to them to see what will happen."
It later came to light that the building had been deemed "not dangerous" by Swansea Council just months before the incident, despite neighbours raising concerns about the derelict building.
One local resident, Gerald Cunningham, had contacted the council on a number of occasions to express concern over the weatherproofing on the property.
In response to the collapse, a spokesman for Swansea Council said: "Our building control team inspected the building in June [2019] and it was deemed safe at that time.
"Since then we have spoken with the owners and their structural engineer on a number of occasions to ensure work is carried out to protect the listed building status of the property. We are continuing to do this.
"However, it is for the owners of the building to ensure that it is safe and to work with their structural engineers to keep it safe. "
Planning permission has now been granted to give the building a new lease of life with proposals to return it to its former condition with many of the original features being kept.
A design and access statement submitted with the planning application states: "The property at 4 Devon Terrace has fallen into an advanced state of disrepair as a result of neglect and lack of maintenance over a prolonged period of time. In order to restore the property as a family home and to reinstate its prominence within Devon Terrace and to once again contribute to the group value and character of the prominent terrace of villas, significant restoration is now required to ensure its future and to prevent it from deteriorating further to the point where the property is beyond repair."
It also mentions that the windows and roof of the building have now "failed", leading to significant water damage and loss of the "historical fabric and detailing of the building".
The planning permission covers the re-building of the collapsed front of the house and other adaptations to re-instate the property as a residential dwelling.
The application can be viewed on Swansea Council's planning portal using reference: 2020/2142/LBC.
