Future of £14.5m heritage site to be discussed

Chester House Estate was bought in 2004 by Northamptonshire County Council

The future of a £14.5m heritage site, including its potential transfer to a trust, is set to be discussed by the council that runs it.

Chester House Estate opened in 2021, 17 years after it was bought by the now-defunct Northamptonshire County Council.

North Northamptonshire Council has been given a grant of £210,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to look into a new governance model.

Helen Howell from the authority said the work was about "securing, protecting and future-proofing" the site.

The council said it would now "explore how a trust would work" at the site, which has evidence of human activity from more than 10,000 years ago and Iron Age and Roman settlements.

If it decides to proceed with a trust, the funds will be used "to implement the charitable trust and new governance".

The authority said a similar model was already in place at Stanwick Lakes, which is owned by the authority and leased to charitable trusts to operate.

Ms Howell, the deputy leader at the Conservative-led council, said it was "an excellent asset" for the area.

She added: "The Chester House Estate has become the area's go-to destination for family-friendly events and we hope this continues to be the case as the site moves forward."