§ Mr. Fauldsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what were his reasons for allowing Mr. Edmund Brudenell to demolish the ballroom of Deene Park, built in 1865, designed by T. H. Wyatt and decorated by J. G. Crace.
§ Mr. MonroMr. Brudenell applied for consent to demolish the ballroom because of the cost of repairs and maintenance and the fact that he could find no beneficial use for it. Following an inquiry, the inspector concluded that the aesthetic merits of the house were marginally greater without the ballroom. No practical suggestions had been put forward for a beneficial use and bearing in mind the very careful restoration achieved in other parts of Deene Park, he was satisfied that there were sufficiently strong reasons for overriding the normal presumption in favour of preservation. I saw no reason to disagree.