Controversial plans to revamp Penrith’s Voreda House have been refused.
The proposals, submitted by Eden District Council, sought to create a new zero-carbon base for the council in the existing building on Portland Place.
Plans were drawn up to retrofit the building, with the intention of converting it into the UK’s first net-zero-carbon retrofit office.
The council has raised £856,000 from the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to support the financing of the refurbishment.
The local authority intends for the building to provide an opportunity to “co-locate” with partners, and believes that with the potential for local government reorganisation on the horizon, the creation of a fit-for-purpose building stands to better protect the locally-focused provision of services to residents of Eden and preserve local jobs.
Penrith Town Council originally objected to the refurbishment plans, however it offered no objection following a revision of the proposals.
Two letters of objection were sent to Eden District Council.
The plans went before Eden council’s planning committee this morning, but were refused because it was detrimental to the character of the area.
After the decision, an Eden District Council spokesman said: “In light of the comments and recommendations made by the members of the planning committee, we will now look again at the application to see what amendments need to be made, and we will present a revised application for consideration at the earliest opportunity.
“The plans for Voreda House have been described as an exemplar scheme of national significance.
“The proposal is to deliver the UK’s first large scale Passivhaus Standard office building retrofit and provide a modern high quality sustainable and safe environment for Eden District Council’s staff, partners and customers.”
