Audacious plans have been submitted to build a house inside a 260ft (80m) Victorian chimney that legendary steeplejack Fred Dibnah once 'climbed for a bet'.
An anonymous applicant hopes to turn the 160-year-old Barrow Bridge Chimney in Bolton, Greater Manchester, into a property within a 360 degree, glass structure.
The grade-II listed building will have an elevator from the ground floor to the first floor, which will be 60ft in the air, according to plans submitted to the council.
The futuristic property would also have a lounge area, three bedrooms and two bathrooms in what is thought would be the first house of its kind in the UK.
Television personality Fred Dibnah is said to have climbed it to win 'ten bob' as a teenager and he later again to work on it as a steeplejack, taking down the top two levels of it.
Developers first submitted plans to convert the Octagonal chimney stack in 2011 after it had stood idle for 30 years.
But little work has been done since plans were approved, on the condition that work began by 2014.
However, an application to the council last week said the work was started by 2014 and the planning permission was in place to this day as a result.
Tony Lang, of architect firm RT Design said at the time of the initial application: “The work would preserve the chimney stack, and provide a regular presence on the site that will curtail the use of the area as a dumping ground.
“The project really has that wow factor and I hope that others find it as exciting as us.”
But Hilary Fenton, whose house is less than 50 yards from the chimney, said she had barely seen any work carried out on the chimney in more than 10 years.
Hilary, 67, who has lived next to the chimney for 20 years, said: "If they're going to build it, build it. But our biggest concern is whether it is a viable building and what's the implication of it being in disrepair?
"It's just been becoming more and more unkempt over the years. There are trees growing out of it now.
"Planning permission was given more than 10 years ago, but in the meantime, the site's not managed and we don't know if it's safe.
"My worry is that if they're not maintaining that now, are they going to do it when the building starts?
"Children are playing in the area and it's just been left to rack and ruin."
Bolton Council approved planning permission for the site of the chimney around 12 and a half years ago.
A planning report from the council: "The development commenced within the timeframe of condition one of the approval.
"The LPA [Local Planning Authority] has no counter-evidence to contradict the applicant's evidence."
Built in 1863, the chimney was part of the power system of the nearby Halliwell Bleach Works
The works were founded by Peter Ainsworth in 1739, and acquired a reputation in the early 19th Century for the early use of chlorine gas in the bleaching process.
The chimney became a grade- two listed structure in 1974, but fell into disrepair when the bleach
An anonymous applicant hopes to turn the 160-year-old Barrow Bridge Chimney in Bolton, Greater Manchester, into a property within a 360 degree, glass structure.
The grade-II listed building will have an elevator from the ground floor to the first floor, which will be 60ft in the air, according to plans submitted to the council.
The futuristic property would also have a lounge area, three bedrooms and two bathrooms in what is thought would be the first house of its kind in the UK.
Television personality Fred Dibnah is said to have climbed it to win 'ten bob' as a teenager and he later again to work on it as a steeplejack, taking down the top two levels of it.
Developers first submitted plans to convert the Octagonal chimney stack in 2011 after it had stood idle for 30 years.
But little work has been done since plans were approved, on the condition that work began by 2014.
However, an application to the council last week said the work was started by 2014 and the planning permission was in place to this day as a result.
Tony Lang, of architect firm RT Design said at the time of the initial application: “The work would preserve the chimney stack, and provide a regular presence on the site that will curtail the use of the area as a dumping ground.
“The project really has that wow factor and I hope that others find it as exciting as us.”
But Hilary Fenton, whose house is less than 50 yards from the chimney, said she had barely seen any work carried out on the chimney in more than 10 years.
Hilary, 67, who has lived next to the chimney for 20 years, said: "If they're going to build it, build it. But our biggest concern is whether it is a viable building and what's the implication of it being in disrepair?
"It's just been becoming more and more unkempt over the years. There are trees growing out of it now.
"Planning permission was given more than 10 years ago, but in the meantime, the site's not managed and we don't know if it's safe.
"My worry is that if they're not maintaining that now, are they going to do it when the building starts?
"Children are playing in the area and it's just been left to rack and ruin."
Bolton Council approved planning permission for the site of the chimney around 12 and a half years ago.
A planning report from the council: "The development commenced within the timeframe of condition one of the approval.
"The LPA [Local Planning Authority] has no counter-evidence to contradict the applicant's evidence."
Built in 1863, the chimney was part of the power system of the nearby Halliwell Bleach Works
The works were founded by Peter Ainsworth in 1739, and acquired a reputation in the early 19th Century for the early use of chlorine gas in the bleaching process.
The chimney became a grade- two listed structure in 1974, but fell into disrepair when the bleach
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00♪♪
00:10♪♪
00:20♪♪
00:30♪♪
00:40♪♪
00:50♪♪
01:00♪♪
01:10♪♪
01:20♪♪
01:30♪♪
01:40♪♪
01:50♪♪
02:00♪♪
02:10♪♪
02:20♪♪
02:30♪♪
02:40♪♪
02:50♪♪