A RENOWNED architect's son has spoken out against plans which could see his father's unique home demolished.

Anthony Bond

BY ANTHONY BOND

anthony.bond@eveningstar.co.uk>

A RENOWNED architect's son has spoken out against plans which could see his father's unique home demolished.

Bill Haward, one of Birkin Haward's four children, said his father would be “extremely upset” by the plans which would see The Spinney in Westerfield Road demolished.

Developers want to build a three-storey 50-bedroom care home in its place but residents living close by are fighting the plans.

Mr Haward, who is also an architect, said: “I am certainly concerned and have written into Ipswich Borough Council with objections and text giving background to my father's work and the house.

“We are trying to encourage other people who knew him and knew the building to write in as well. My father would have been extremely upset no doubt and I am sure he would do his best to prevent it and we are trying to do that on his behalf.

“It is a unique building for that period and it relates to the work that he was doing with local schools at the time. It is in a lovely situation within the middle of a wood right in the town.”

The Twentieth Century Society - which aims to safeguard the heritage of architecture and design in Britain from 1914 onwards - wrote to Ipswich Borough Council to say it was putting the building forward for spot-listing.

The society requested that the council make no decisions on the future of the building until the listing application is decided.

Birkin Haward was an architect, painter, draughtsman and photographer. He was born in Ipswich where he lived and practiced as an architect for most of his life. He died in 2002.

An exhibition of his paintings is currently being held at Ipswich Town Hall Galleries and will run until Saturday.

Residents fighting the development say it is inappropriate on the basis of its location, scale and impact on the woodland environment.

The developers say the new care home will be an environmentally sensitive, low impact building. They also say The Spinney does not meet the standards which would be expected of a new building.

The plans have been submitted to Ipswich council. It is not yet known when a decision will be taken.