Planners have granted permission for the demolition of a grade II-listed farmhouse ahead of plans to replace it with a modern eco-house.
Hunter Architects & Planners, on behalf of applicants who want to build a contemporary environmentally friendly dwelling on the site, had applied to Mid Suffolk Council to pull down the derelict 17th-century farmhouse at Chestnut Tree Farm on Denham Road at Hoxne, near Diss.
In a report for planners said the council's heritage officer had in 2007 found the building, which was given listed status in 1988, to be in worse condition than expected and that none of the surviving structure could be viable for re-building. Since then further parts of the building have collapsed.
The report concluded: 'The Heritage Team considers that the proposal would cause no harm to a designated heritage asset because the building has long since lost its special interest.'
The developers have said their plans for a new modern eco-home would use solar panels for renewable power and heating and a borehole and rainwater harvesting to avoid connecting to the water mains.
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