Plans to renovate Georgian mansion Calcott Hall in Powys

Calcott Hall has fallen derelict since a previous owner died in the 1970s

An abandoned 18th Century mansion in Powys could be renovated under new plans.

The Grade II-listed Calcott Hall at Four Crosses, north of Welshpool, is said to be an "unusually rare" local example of a Georgian country house.

Its owners have proposed a "sympathetic and minimalistic" renovation of the building, which dates back to 1725.

Llandysilio community councillors have called for the hall to be restored "for many years" as it attracts intruders.

The proposals include a "light touch" renovation to the main building, financed from the conversion of nearby barns into seven homes.

The building found fame in the national press as "Red Dress Manor", left to rack and ruin since the woman who lived there died in the 1970s.

A planning statement to Powys County Council says: "Calcott Hall and its associated barns are an unusually rare example in Montgomeryshire of an early Georgian country house.

"Unfortunately, the hall and its buildings have been deteriorating year by year, in light of being abandoned after the owner passed away.

"The current owners are keen to bring life back to the hall and the barns with a sympathetic and minimalistic renovation."

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Llandysilio community council discussed the application at a meeting earlier this year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Clerk Carol Davies said: "The council has been urging for work to restore Calcott Hall for many years as it was once such a prominent building in the village.

"In recent years it has attracted a lot of unwanted attention with intruders causing a real nuisance to neighbours."

However, she said there were concerns about the barns being partly in a flood zone, and about the possibility of extra traffic on a narrow lane.

Powys County Council is expected to make a decision on the proposal in the coming months.