Source: Allies and MorrisonA rendering of Allies and Morrisons schemeThe Georgian Group has written to Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner, urging her to call in the recently approved proposals for Clandon Park, the Grade I-listed Palladian house gutted by fire in 2015.The heritage organisation argues that the plans, designed by Allies and Morrison in collaboration with Purcell, failed to meet key national planning tests and should have been refused.The letter claims that the scheme would cause a high degree of less than substantial harm to the significance of the house and its Grade II-listed Capability Brown landscape.The call-in request follows Guildford Borough Councils decision on 6 March to grant planning permission and listed building consent for the National Trust-led scheme. The proposals seek to stabilise the remains of the fire-damaged 18th-century house while introducing new visitor facilities, including a caf, rooftop terrace, and walkways providing new vantage points within the building.In its letter to Rayner, signed by chairman Paul Zisman and director designate Anya Lucas, the Georgian Group claimsthat the scheme meets the criteria for government intervention, citing conflict with national policy on important matters, and significant architectural and urban design issues.The group also argues that the project has become a matter of national controversy due to widespread objections from conservation specialists, architects, and members of the public.Clandon Park before the fireSource: Jim Linwood, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsThe 2015 fireSource: Colin Smith, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsThe house after the fireSource: 'NH53', CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons1/3show captionThe Georgian Groups letter outlines concerns over key elements of the scheme, including the introduction of the rooftop terrace and the demolition of parts of the surviving fabric. The group also argues that the proposed interventions lack reversibility, making future restoration more difficult.The heritage group contends that the design compounds the fire damage rather than mitigating it and objects to the National Trusts approach of attaching significance to the post-fire state of the interiors.Source: YouTubeAnya Lucas at the Guildford Borough Council planning committee meeting on 6 MarchLucas told BD: Far from enhancing understanding of the Grade I listed building, these harmful applications compound the fire damage. They are not policy compliant and they are nationally controversial. They also represent a missed opportunity to support at-risk heritage crafts.She added: We believe all the criteria for call-in are met and have written to the Secretary of State to urge her to do this so that the proposals can be properly scrutinised at a public inquiry.The letter also claims that the planning committee report contained an error of law by incorrectly asserting that alternative approaches to the restoration were not relevant to the decision. The Georgian Group maintains that there are viable alternatives that could avoid what it describes as unjustified harm to the buildings historic significance.The group has requested that the Secretary of State exercise powers underthe Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to determine the application at a national level. If the request is granted, the case would be subject to a public inquiry.>> Also read:Rebuild the Mack, but why stop there?>> Also read:Modernist dogma should not prevent us from rebuilding the Crooked HouseThe National Trust has defended its approach as the most appropriate way to secure Clandon Parks long-term future, arguing that it provides public access while revealing layers of the buildings architectural history.The debate over restoring fire-damaged historic buildings versus preserving them in their altered state remains divisive in conservation. While some architects argue that full restoration risks falsifying history, others maintain that it has cultural validity, preserving a sense of continuity that modernist approaches to heritage often deny.Architect Francis Terry hashighlighted the National Trusts full restoration of Uppark in West Sussex after a 1989 fire, calling it the catalyst for a revival in heritage crafts, whose benefits we are still reaping today. He has urged a similar approach at Clandon Park, arguing that large-scale reconstruction projects help preserve specialist building skills.>> Also read:Allies and Morrisons Clandon Park scheme approved despite calls for full restoration>> Also read:The resurrection of Notre Dame: inside the restored cathedral in pictures