Anger at plan to demolish ‘enchanting’ £5m mansion
A WEALTHY couple’s plans to bulldoze a £5million waterfront mansion and replace it with a modern home have come under fire from a heritage charity.
The six-bed property, described in Country Life magazine as “enchanting”, sits in two and a half acres of gardens with a tennis court and swimming pool.
But Euan and Harriet O’Sullivan’s proposal was backed by councillors despite objections from preservation group theVictorian Society and others.
The O’Sullivans bought Apuldram House in 2020 for £4.95million.
It was built around 1900 by leading Gothic revival architect Temple Moore and has views across the water at Chichester Harbour.
The harbour is in a National Landscape, formerly known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with neighbours that include Kate Winslet and Keith Richards, although the mansion is not a protected building. The couple were given consent by council planning chiefs to demolish it and build an architectdesigned six-bed brick and flint home.
Chichester District Council ruled “harmful” alterations to the original house meant its appearance was detrimental to the conservation area and its replacement would be less intrusive. The Society urged the O’Sullivans to build on an empty plot of land rather than demolish the mansion.
Mr O’Sullivan, 44, is chief executive of global science firm LGC while Mrs O’Sullivan is a property lawyer. A
Victorian Society spokeswoman said it was “extremely disappointed” that “the council accepted the owner’s bizarre argument that a replacement house would be less intrusive in the conservation area”.
One local objector, David Moore, said: “Apuldram House is of significant historical and local heritage interest and value.” Planning documents show Mrs O’Sullivan pointed out that many objectors were not locals but people from across the country on social media, adding: “We simply want to build a home for our young family which is responsive to our needs, as well as the unique and beautiful setting of the plot.”