Cumbrian racehorse trainer Nicky Richards has appealed to planners to allow him to build a luxury home at his Greystoke yard as part of moves to help his daughter take over the business.
Mr Richards spoke to members of Eden District Council’s planning committee at a meeting on Thursday.
He said the business has been based at Greystoke since 1968 and now employs 30 staff, with the majority locally sourced.
“I’m not getting any younger and I hope my daughter, who has a larger family, would move to start to take more responsibility for the business,” he said.
The proposed house on land north of The Rectory would be a detached home with a detached double garage and three first-floor en suite bedrooms all with walk-in wardrobes.
Associated work would see almost 0.85 acres of land domesticated.
However, the development was recommended for refusal by Eden planning officers and objections made by a number of neighbours.
This is based on the impact of the proposed new house on nearby heritage including the Grade II listed Old Rectory and the land’s connection to the Grade II listed St Andrew’s Church.
Out of six neighbours consulted all objected.
There were also objections from the council’s conservation officer and from the arboriculturalist who had concerns the development could harm mature protected trees at the site.
Elaine Martin (Con., Hesket) proposed a site visit for the committee to see first-hand the location of the proposed house and how it will impact on the setting.
This was seconded by Ian Chambers (Con., Eamont) and agreed in a vote.
The site visit will take place next month, when a final decision is expected to be made.
