A GEORGIAN terrace cottage that suffered fire damage after an explosion in the next door house four years ago is set to be restored.
Sarah Rogerson’s application to refurbish the Grade II-listed terraced workers’ cottage in Chepstow’s Lower Church Street and build a rear extension – supported by insurers Admiral – was approved by Monmouthshire Council planners.
The street was rocked by a huge explosion at No 38 opposite the Baptist Church around 6.30pm on September 21, 2020, sparking a major 999 operation.
Horrified witnesses saw a man thrown through the window by the blast near the Drill Hall, just moments after a family with a young child had walked past.
The 38-year-old injured man was flown by air ambulance to Morriston Hospital’s burns unit in Swansea, and street houses evacuated as smoke rose high into the sky.
A cordon was thrown around the area as firefighters fought the blaze, which could be seen across the town and from over the Wye in England.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service sent six fire engines and other resources, and film posted from Tutshill Cliff showed jets of water being sprayed on it.
Ben Powell, 27, told the BBC he was in his home opposite wearing headphones when he heard "a massive bang".
"It shook my flat," said the chef. "I looked out my window and there were literally bits of the house opposite everywhere and people screaming.
"The house looked like a bomb had gone off inside, but then there was a little flame – and within two minutes the whole house had caught fire."
An emergency service manager from Wales and West Utilities said in the days following that it was not thought the blast was related to the mains gas network, while witnesses said firefighters had found gas canisters at the scene.
The explosion gutted the kitchen and conservatory at No 38 and partially collapsed the extension and conservatory at No 37, which were then demolished.
The remains of No 38 were auctioned off for just over £100,000 in 2022, while No 37 has been uninhabited since.
No 37’s extension and conservatory will now be replaced with a single storey extension, spanning the house width, while the roof of the house will also be replaced.
Llisted in 1975 for its group value with other buildings, No 37 is the right-hand of a pair of late Georgian period cottages.
When listed, it retained “much of its historic character”, according to planning officer Victoria Cornock’s report, including a bay window, door and architraves, but photographs show sash windows in its place by 1978.
Ms Cornock said alterations had been made without listed building consent, and the council had an enforcement case open in 2013, but the unathorised works were “inadvertently granted listed building consent” when a 2021 application was approved.
But Ms Cornock’s report stated: “Whilst the building has been subject to change in the last few decades, it still retains much of its Georgian character and significance as a terraced workers dwelling, particularly regarding its size, general design and fenestration.”