A GRADE II listed Georgian property looks set to be demolished.

The owners of Brook House, in Tiptree, dating from the mid-18th century, have applied to knock it down because of its poor condition.

English Heritage, which protects listed buildings, has given its backing, as it says the property is “beyond any economical means of repair”.

The house, in Maldon Road, which has only been occupied by squatters in the past 20 years, once belonged to the Hull family.

Tiptree parish councillor, Tony Webb, said: “The family died off and there was no one to take on the house.

“It has got quite a character, but it is in pretty poor condition.”

The house is currently owned by developer Jim Purdy, whose family company has substantial land holdings in the Maldon district.

If it were demolished, there may be scope to build several homes on the site, as it is within Tiptree’s village boundary and the existing principal use is residential.

Mr Webb said he believed several residents were planning to speak out against the proposal, when it is considered by the parish council at its meeting tonight.

Homebuilding is a thorny issue in the village, which has rapidly expanded in recent years and faces more growth under Colchester Council’s development policies.

Peter Carter, of Sage Walk, Tiptree, who has written a letter of objection to Colchester Council, said: “We are rapidly losing our inheritance, with listed buildings being demolished, never to be replaced.”

A report on the house by structural engineers, Heard Associates, commissioned by Mr Purdy, says severe damage and distortion is evident across the front of the building and the foundations appear to have moved.

Mr Purdy’s staff decided it would be unsafe to enter all the rooms, in case the floor or ceiling collapsed. They said the kitchen ceiling had fallen in and large cracks could be seen in several of the walls.