'Charles I' stable development knocked on the head (From This Is Local London)

'Charles I' Richmond Park stable development knocked on the head

4:36pm Monday 19th January 2009 in Where I Live By David Lindsell

Stag Lodge stables

An exclusive riding school on the edge of Richmond Park has failed in its bid for permission to knock down its stables and build three large town houses.

Stag Lodge owner Richard Turner wanted to build three four-bedroom town houses after knocking down the stables, but planned to keep the oldest parts which date back to 1790.

But council officers who had earmarked the development for approval performed a u-turn and rejected the stable's plan.

Mr Turner was not available for comment to the Surrey Comet today, but last week he told Horse & Hound magazine he did not intend to go through with the development regardless of the result.

"I don't expect to get consent," he said. "I'm just trying to increase the value of my property.

"We're about 20-30 per cent down on takings, and we have to do something," he said. "But the horses aren't going anywhere."

Kingston Council officers concluded on Wednesday that the land performed an important 'recreational, historical and visual function' and would adversely impact flora and fauna in Richmond Park.

They also told Mr Turner to inform The Royal Parks before any further planning applications were put in to find out how they might affect the park.

A former owner believes there were stables on the site as far back as 1635 when Charles I created the park as exclusive Royal hunting territory.

In recent years two pubs on the same stretch of road, the Robin Hood Hotel and the Duke of Cambridge, have been knocked down to make way for expensive homes.

Stag Lodge has a selection of about 40 horses on the yard, from Shetland ponies to Irish hunters.

It rides between Tuesdays and Sundays in floodlit arenas or in Richmond Park. During the summer evening hacks and pub rides allow the best riders to venture into the park.

The lodge itself is a house of 19th century appearance which was made a "Building of Townscape Merit". An 18th-century tack room with an earlier 17th century beam will be retained.

In 1986 there was a battle to save the stables when a previous owner said he would develop the site if he failed to find a buyer for the asking price of £500,000.