Accommodation plan for Grade II-listed stables
Several agencies will look at the plans for the Sutton Park estate as the nearby Sutton Park House (pictured) is Grade I-listed
- Published
A family's historic home in North Yorkshire could be further opened up to the public in a bid to fund the conservation of one of its designated heritage assets.
A proposal to transform Grade II-listed former stables into homes or holiday accommodation on the Sutton Park estate, at Sutton on the Forest, north of York, is to go before councillors.
The proposal will be scrutinised by a variety of bodies as the documents state the affected site is near Sutton Park House, a Grade I-listed property .
Papers suggested the plan would be "a new long-term use for the former stables, so historic significance can be sustained".
'Small in scale'
The papers, unveiled by Robert Sheffield, heir to the title of 9th Baronet Sheffield, have been lodged with North Yorkshire Council, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
According to the plans, the proposed development would have no impact on views to and from Sutton Park House.
The house features Old Master paintings and furniture which originally adorned the Sheffield family’s London seat, Buckingham House, which later became Buckingham Palace.
Sutton Park House and gardens are opened up to the public on selected dates during the year.
The proposal for the stables stated that the site was in open countryside, inside a designated conservation area and was home to five species of roosting bat, all of which features were protected to some extent.
It added: “The proposed residential conversion is very small in scale and appropriate and commensurate in size and scale with Sutton on the Forest.”
Planners were also expected to look at the potential impact on other listed buildings in the grounds, including an ice house and a walled kitchen garden, and on the village’s conservation area, within which the stables are located.
'History and significance'
However, agents for the developer said as “modest changes” to the exterior of the stables, a mix of single and two-storey buildings were being proposed, they did not believe the development would have an impact on the other heritage assets.
The document stated: “In the main the existing openings and features are to be used and there is no change planned to the external space surrounding the building.”
It added that if planners or Historic England believed the impact of the development would have a significant impact on the heritage assets, the “important public benefits” of the proposal should be considered, which included “providing opportunities for visitors to visit and stay at Sutton Park to better appreciate and understand its history and significance”.
As there were five species of roosting bat on the site it would be necessary to get a European Protected Species Licence from Natural England before starting the development, if given the go-ahead, the application said.
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