Grade I-listed hotel says marquee vital for future

Castle Bromwich Hall was built between 1557 and 1585 and is now listed

The owners of Solihull boutique hotel are trying again to gain permission to erect a temporary marquee after previously being refused permission.

Bosses at Grade I-listed Castle Bromwich Hall Hotel said the marquee was essential to securing the future of the historic site.

Owners Normanton Partnership Ltd first applied for permission in 2021 but Castle Bromwich Parish Council objected and permission was subsequently refused by Solihull Council.

The 42-bedroom hotel had appealed to the government's planning inspectorate but has now withdrawn its appeal. A consultation is now under way on the latest application.

A planning statement included in the latest application for the Grade I listed hotel said: "The erection of the temporary marquee is primarily intended for the holding of events and to be used principally for wedding receptions.

"Separate discussions are taking place through a pre-application process with the council's planning group leader for a more permanent solution to be agreed to meet the requirement of the hotel for the longer term."

'Harm park's significance'

Having the marquee "was the only realistic option available to the applicants to secure revenue at anything like the level necessary to continue the upkeep of the heritage asset", it added.

But objections previously raised by the parish council included the marquee not being in-keeping with the area, complaints of anti-social parking in the surrounding areas due to lack of parking provision and disturbance to neighbours late at night.

Solihull Council planners issued a notice in November that permission had been refused as the temporary fixture would be a "major intervention in this sensitive location" and would "harm the significance" of the Grade ll registered park and garden.

But the planning application stated "the public benefits of the development outweigh any harm to the significance of the identified heritage assets", adding that the parish council's concerns are "anachronistic" with no "tangible evidence" for them.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.