Grounds of registered buildings lack legal protection
A recently uncovered legal loophole could throw the status of local registered buildings into question.
Lawyers working on the Lorne House estate in Castletown have identified a gap in the Town & Country Planning Act 1999, which means the grounds surrounding registered properties are not specifically protected by the law.
In theory, this means the owners of iconic estates such as Milntown and Kentraugh could freely apply to develop there as they wish.
Lorne House is currently owned by Island businessman and property developer Roy Tilliard.
Conservationist and historian Charles Guard is urging politicians to plug the gap as soon as possible:
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