Plans to restore a neglected former hotel and create a sustainable holiday retreat are set to be given the go-ahead.
Members of the strategic planning committee for Westmorland and Furness Council are recommended to approve plans from Abhall Limited to restore the Grade II-listed Abbot Hall on Kirkhead Road in Grange-over-Sands into a home and to offer holiday accommodation on the grounds.
The site was originally built in 1840 and expanded in 1870. It was previously a hotel and holiday park until 2018 but has been unused since.
Proposals include converting a 36-bedroom hotel, coffee shop, bistro, five conference rooms and leisure facilities into a private home. Plans also include constructing three one-bedroom holiday lodges on the site.
A design and access statement says: “Our client is planning to live on the site within Abbot Hall but they are looking to create a viable sustainable holiday retreat alongside forming their primary income with a phased approach to developing the site.”
A report by planning officers said: “The proposed development would result in the sensitive reuse of the currently unused and poorly-maintained listed building and would provide heritage benefits by re-establishing the detached Victorian form of the original dwelling and the redevelopment of the ancillary greenhouse.
“The three additional lodges within the edge of the woodland would cause minimal harm to the wider landscape and their impact would be mitigated by a considerable amount of planting.”
The planning application will be discussed by councillors at the County Hall in Kendal on September 19.
