“Sad and historic barn, neglected for decades and seeking a loving future use. Will someone please look after this barn?”
-
-
-
The detail of the crack -
A further crack visible -
Inside the barn
In early 2012 concerned about the gradually deteriorating condition of the barn, the brickwork has several large cracks in it and there are missing tiles etc, the Warren and District Residents Association and CADRA, supported by RCS, started to write to Historic England and RBC asking that action be take to require the leaseholders of Chazey Barn to undertake essential repairs. In 2016 we gained and understanding that the lease had gone bust. In August 2016 we finally had a letter from RBC Planning Dept: “In conjunction with Historic England, we have written to the landowners, developers and prospective occupier of the site ( the Inmind Healthcare Group) stating that unless work to prevent the barn deteriorating any further begins by the autumn, we will issue an Urgent Works Notice. HE has conducted a structural survey identifying work that needs to be carried out, and a copy of this was sent with each letter. We have had responses from the landowner and the prospective occupier and understand that the latter is currently looking for a contractor to undertake the work.” Despite correspondence with HE by W&DRA and CADRA nothing happened. We hassled again. In 2017 we were told by RBC that the Care Home company had gone bust and that they were liaising with . SAVE added the building to its Buildings at Risk in 2017. January 2017 letter from HE that they were ” assisting Reading Borough Council in the steps needed for them to serve an urgent works notice.” October 2018 correspondence from HE that “they were doing all they could to persuade Reading BC to take the appropriate action“. June 2019 RBC Planning Dept ” I am liaising with Historic England in order to issue an Urgent Works Notice in relation to Chazey Barn. The process for this requires several steps and that the Council has funding and contractor in place to undertake the works if the owner/ responsible party for the Barn do not carry out the works within a required time frame.”
So I wonder when, or indeed if, works will be undertaken.
What are the options for the future?
We understand the council’s rational for approving a planning application which they hoped it would allow the barn “to be brought back into beneficial use”. d, perhaps, be seen as a desperate throw of the dice to find a solution, almost any solution. Whilst we thought it was sheer folly the council would have been engaged in deeper discussions with the applicant and would have known more. Sadly it proved to be a flawed solution then, it seems to us still to be a flawed solution. There are however no easy solutions. A community use which would be practical, generate funds which would facilitate restoration and ongoing maintenance, would be ideal and good ideas are sought. They are challenging to find. Some barns such as this have been successfully converted to homes, however the extremely close proximity of the proposed large Care Home might discourage such an innovation. In the meantime we support fully RBC’s action to have protective repairs undertaken. These will however not restore the barn so that it could find a new use. So all innovative ideas (and money) are welcome.
