Yahoo Finance Developers must rebuild destroyed Victorian houses 'brick by brick'
Developers who destroyed three Victorian-era houses that survived the Blitz have been ordered to rebuild them exactly as they were before.
Magnus Davey and his sister, Julie, have been told to replace the properties “brick by brick” after being found to have breached planning laws.
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The buildings, on the Isle of Dogs, east London, were listed as being of historic and architectural interest.
But they were pulled down in mid-2016 without planning permission. Now Tower Hamlets council has given the owners 18 months to rebuild the three mid-19th century properties in the Coldharbour conservation area next to Canary Wharf.
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Tower Hamlets mayor John Biggs said: “The owners allowed the demolition and have since repeatedly refused to give a credible explanation for their destruction during exhaustive enquiries by the council. They should be made to replace these properties like for like, brick by brick.”
And local councillor, Peter Golds, told the East London Advertiser: “The demolition was immoral and illegal. Why should anyone have the right to destroy part of London’s heritage?”
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The developers, who have said the buildings were unsafe, have appealed to the secretary of state against the enforcement notice.
Neighbours discovered the bulldozers had moved in over one weekend in July last year. The houses had survived when the rest of the block was destroyed on the first night of the Blitz on September 7, 1940.
