Last updated at 13:34, Saturday, 24 August 2013

A HISTORIC mansion could be turned into apartments and 52 houses built in the grounds.

An application has been submitted for the conversion of the grade II-listed Stone Cross Mansion in Ulverston and the house construction on the 18-acre site.

Property development firm Charles Church, which is owned by national company Persimmon, has confirmed it has submitted a full planning application to South Lakeland District Council.

John Jackson, senior land manager for Charles Church Lancashire, said: “Charles Church seeks to sympathetically refurbish the mansion house and its accompanying lodge building, protecting its heritage assets and bringing the building back to use.

“Our plans detail the conversion of the mansion house into 20 apartments, renovation of the lodge house along with building 52 new four and five-bedroom homes within the grounds.

“If the application is successful we would aim to start work immediately.”

The Victorian gothic mansion, built in 1874 and formerly used as a special school, has been unused since 2004 and since fallen into disrepair.

SLDC has accepted the need for development in the grounds to help fund the restoration of the building itself, owned by Persimmon.

In the latest draft of the council’s land allocations document, which earmarks sites for development across the South Lakes to meet the region’s acute housing demand, calls for 50 dwellings at Stone Cross Mansion.

The document says: “The primary aim of any development proposal on this site is to secure the future of this important listed building and its setting.

“Development at Stone Cross Mansion will be restricted to enabling development to secure the future of the mansion.

“Development will only be permitted where it does not have a harmful impact on important views to and from the mansion and from outside the site towards the mansion.”

Persimmon, which owns the property, attracted criticism in 2010 for allowing the building to fall into disrepair after SLDC was forced to take urgent action to save it.

First published at 13:27, Saturday, 24 August 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk

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