Residents have pleaded with a housing association not to demolish a building which its claimed is linked to the “Father of Aviation”.

Larkfield Manor with its distinctive turret on Rhos Road, Rhos-on-sea, is due to be demolished, along with the former St Trillo’s Church, on Elwy Road, and redeveloped into 17 one and two-bedroomed affordable flats.

The house, which is not listed, was part of the Cayley family’s estate. From North Yorkshire, they gave their name to various areas in Rhos-on-Sea, such as the Cayley Promenade.

Protestors against the demolition claim links to Sir George Cayley, 6th Baronet. He was responsible for designing the first fixed wing aircraft, a glider, which carried his driver 50 years before the Wright Brothers got off the ground.

However Sir George Cayley died in 1857 and the house was built in the early 20th century.

A decision on the application is expected at Conwy council’s March 11 planning meeting but local Assembly Member Darren Millar has joined some local residents to object to the development.

He said: “Larkfield House is an impressive building and, after visiting on Monday and learning more about its history, I can fully understand why the residents are so against plans to demolish it.

“The property has an imposing presence, great character and unique architecture, yet its future is in jeopardy because Cartrefi Conwy want to demolish it as part of a scheme to develop new apartments.

“The residents have no objection to its conversion or to the building of a large extension behind it, they just want a compromise so that the plans can go through that please everyone and not just the contractors.”

Mr Millar says he has contacted the Heritage minister asking for a reprieve to “safeguard the character of this prominent building” and help tell the story of the Cayley family’s association with Rhos on Sea.

“The property has an imposing presence, great character and unique architecture, yet its future is in jeopardy because Cartrefi Conwy want to demolish it as part of a scheme to develop new apartments. Should the planning application be granted then none of the existing Larkfield House or its features will remain, which would be devastating.

A spokesman for Cartrefi Conwy said: “We are committed to providing social housing in the Rhos on Sea area where there is significant demand for this type of accommodation. Careful consideration was given to the possibility of renovating the existing buildings on site, as we have done previously, but it was concluded that this was not a practical or feasible solution to delivering affordable housing on this site.

“As a result of a pre-planning enquiry with the local authority and a public consultation event, the design of the development has evolved to address concerns raised by planning officers and local residents and the mass and scale of the proposed scheme has been reduced.

“In the meantime, we have commissioned an independent heritage consultant to provide us with a full assessment of the site and this will be submitted with our planning application.

We have been advised by the Local Authority that the building is not listed and does not appear on their list of Buildings of Significant Local Interest. In addition, Clwyd/Powys Archaeological Trust have indicated the building was constructed between 1905 and 1914 and has since been much altered and extended. This is long after the pioneering aviator, Sir George Caley, died in 1857.”

Clwyd/Powys Archaeological Trust has suggested a full documentation of the house takes place before it is demolished.

Cartrefi Conwy says the development is part of its commitment to building 428 new homes over the next three years.