Whilst the fire was clearly a terrible situation (luckily no one was injured) the owner had to think of the long term future of the building and one of the things he could do was to future proof the building so that it met modern needs. The internal layout was compromised with two stairs and poor internal connections and as such the two storey side extension was proposed which allowed a much better layout to be created, including a good master bedroom and a family kitchen. We were delighted when approval was given under delegated powers.