Developers sue over Carmelite monastery (From Times Series)

Developers sue over Carmelite monastery

12:00pm Friday 6th March 2009 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

The owners of a century-old monastery in Golders Green are suing Barnet Council for attempting to stop them building on the site.

The authority placed a Building Preservation Notice on the Bridge Lane monastery in December 2007 in a bid to preserve its architectural and historical value to the community.

The notice prevented the developers from building on the site without special planning permission, but in June last year the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport decided not to make it permanent by grade listing the monastery.

The owners are now seeking compensation from the council for the drop in the market value of the site during the six months the notice was in place.

The monastery was built in 1908 and was home to nuns before it was vacated and sold to developers in 2007.

English Heritage, which advised the Secretary of State on such matters, decided that it was not “ambitious” or “refined” enough to merit listed status.