Sladnor Park holiday lodges (c1979-1983)
In a Torbay valley, some of Mervyn Seal's most charming commercial work hides in the woods, waiting for demolition.
On 27 October 2025, the UK government passed the Renters’ Rights Act which ended the legality of non-fault evictions. These evictions, known as section 21s, meant a landlord didn’t need a reason to end someone’s tenancy. The section 21 element of the Act will come into effect on 1 May 2026.
On 12 November 2025, as the handful of residents in the 1970s Sladnor Park lodges were preparing for winter, their landlord served them all with section 21s. Since the old mansion house burnt down in 1995, successive developers have sought to build over 100 homes in the combe at Sladnor Park.
This is the fight to save not only the lodges, a unique example of Torbay architect Mervyn Seal’s design principles, but residents’ homes.
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