Sir Sydney Camm's home closer to the bulldozers

Earlier this month, officers at Elmbridge Council decided to deny Shanly Homes permission to bulldoze 29 Embercourt Road, Thames Ditton, where Sir Sydney Camm lived for 28 years.

Senior members of Shanly Homes met the council to assure no demolition would happen until English Heritage and the council had decided if the home was worthy of listed status.

Andrew Webb, land director of Shanly Homes, said: "Those decisions have now been made. English Heritage has made it quite clear that there are no grounds to preserve the building, even though it holds some social interest because of its association with Sydney Camm.

"Similarly, the planning application was not refused on historical or architectural grounds, but because of issues with mass and scale."

Such is concern about the demolition of the site, a meeting was held as part of the Thames Ditton and Weston Green Residents' Association AGM on March 24.

Councillor Ruth Lyon said the developers had gone back on a promise not to demolish the building before the site had planning permission.

She said: "It would be tragic if Shanly Homes unnecessarily destroyed this historic building when they could develop the site by building two new houses in the back garden and restore Carradale as a family house."

Mr Webb said: "We appreciate that some locals in Thames Ditton may have a sentimental attachment to Carradale, and, as we have said before, we are happy to enter into discussions to find a fitting way to mark the life and work of Sir Sydney Camm, in the event of the council granting planning permission."

To read the full story of how Sydney Camm helped win World War II read our June Sampson's full feature here