Henson Villas are said to have a ‘detrimental’ effect on the area though there have been efforts to save the site
Henson Villas in Pearson Park could soon be demolished as Hull City Council has put forward plans to level the site. Documents in the newly-submitted planning application state the buildings should be removed “as soon as practicably possible”.
The three apartment blocks, located at the South East of Pearson Park, now sit vacant with the site’s future having been in doubt for a number of years. The site is within the Avenues and Pearson Park Conservation Area.
The buildings’ curious history dates back to the 1950s when the three blocks were built to house women workers as a part the city’s efforts to recover from the Second World War. Perhaps fittingly, the buildings themselves were in fact built on the site of two Victorian villas which were demolished after being heavily damaged by wartime bombing in May 1941.
Despite the buildings being built in an area surrounded by Victorian properties, and on the site of two former Victorian properties, council documents state the villas “do not attempt to mimic, or fit in with, the architectural style of the existing Victorian properties.” The documents claim therefore, that the buildings are “detrimental” to the look of the area.
In recent years, campaigners had attempted to protect the villas from future demolition by suggesting they should be added to Hull’s Local Heritage List of historically significant buildings around the city. In 2024, the council’s Planning Committee refused to add the villas to the Local Heritage List, seemingly removing any potential obstacle to the building’s demolition.
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The council has now launched a planning application for the buildings’ demolition. Submitted documents claim the site “is clearly in very poor condition and has been deteriorating for quite some time”, adding: “Any option to refurbish Henson Villas would therefore entail significant repair works.”
Regarding the future of the site, post-demolition, it is stated: “The demolition of the existing buildings with the opportunity for a new-build scheme could be seen to be a benefit to the conservation area.” It is added that the villas’ removal could open the door for a “more aesthetically appropriate and visually sensitive project, to be built.”
The site is also mentioned on the ‘new house building and redevelopment’ page on council’s website. The page states: “It is estimated that around 30 new comfortable, energy efficient homes, can be built on this site to a modern standard. This enables us to offer decent, quality homes.”