A leading Suffolk member of the House of Lords has weighed into the fight to prevent developing executive houses next to the historic Erwarton Hall.

Right Honourable John Gummer, Lord Deben has joined Griff Rhys Jones, and the owners of Erwarton Hall among more than 50 others, in objecting to plans to covert barns to form five dwellings, and to build two new houses, and provide a new vehicular access into Erwarton Hall Farm Yard, next door to the Grade 2 listed 500-year-old home and the Grade 1 listed Gatehouse.

Lord Deben, a former Conservative party chairman and Secretary of State for the Environment responsible for planning, wrote to Babergh's planners and said: "I believe Erwarton Gatehouse to be an iconic part of Suffolk's heritage. It is nationally important as it is unique, well preserved, and of great architectural and historical importance.

"More than 40 years ago when I first came to Suffolk this was one of three images which summed up our local heritage - and the only one not in my then constituency.

"As the Secretary of State then charged with Planning, this is precisely the rare kind of building that I would have wanted not only to preserve but to ensure that its setting was also protected.

"The proposed development of neighbouring farm buildings damages the setting of Erwarton Hall and particularly its Gatehouse. These buildings are part of the historic development of the site and have a perfectly good agricultural and storage use.

"There is every reason to retain them as part of the setting and it would be really damaging to allow the development proposed even with the modest alterations now suggested.

"Babergh has a reputation of caring for its environment; nothing in its District is as iconic as Erwarton Hall Gatehouse; and I believe that future generations would rightly be astonished and appalled if this proposal was allowed to proceed."

The former Suffolk Coastal MP served under Margaret Thather and John Major, and is now aline peer. Lord Deben is Chairman of the UK's independent Committee on Climate Chang, is a director of The Catholic Herald and is a trustee of climate change charity Cool Earth, alongside the ocean conservation charity, Blue Marine Foundation.

The application next to Erwarton Hall has recently featured in satirical magazine Private Eye in its Nooks and Corners column. Full story here...

Some members of Babergh's panning committee have already been criticised for failing to make a visit to the site to get a better understanding of the complex nature of the development and the impact the development would have on the historic buildings, the AONB, highways access, and other factors.

Sudbury councillor Simon Barrett and Peter Beer from Great Cornard, failed to understand the significance of the site a need to see for themselves and refused to take a close look.

Babergh's Ganges ward councillor for Erwarton and Shotley, Derek Davis, said at the time: "It is an appalling decision on so many levels. This is a complex application with many facets, which I believe planning committee members will only fully understand if they visit the site.

"It is bonkers that both the applicants, main objectors, and ward member wanted a site visit yet a couple of councillors from Sudbury went against the proposal and convinced a few others to agree not to make the visit."

One person, from Holbrook, has written in to support the application.

Go to Babergh's planning website using reference DC/20/03083 for more details on the application.