Plans to transform the Grade I listed Doddington Hall near Nantwich into a luxury hotel and spa are recommended for approval.
The proposal, which will go before Cheshire East councillors next Wednesday (July 1), is to transform the hall and Grade II listed stables into a 120-room ‘five star’ country house hotel, with a restaurant, bars and function rooms.
The plans also include the erection of new-build accommodation and a spa and leisure facility, as well as the restoration of the Grade II listed park and garden and the structural restoration, refurbishment and conversion of the Grade I Delves Castle and Grade II Star Barn – the use of which will be ‘defined at a later date’.
But while the plan gets the approval of planning officers, it’s caused anger among some local residents living in the rural area who fear it could eventually pave the way for a 130-home scheme.
The Doddington estate has been home to the Delves Broughton family for more than 650 years, but has laid virtually empty for the past 30 and fallen into decline.
In July last year, the Chronicle revealed how owner Lady Rona Delves-Broughton was planning on submitting an outline housing proposal – an ‘enabling application’ – which, if approved, would eventually free up vital funds for the estate’s repairs.
At that time the hotel plan was also revealed, with a spokesman for Lady Delves-Broughton saying it would take more than a £30m investment to get the estate restored and transformed.
However, while the housing application has not yet emerged there are concerns the hotel plan is the first step in the process towards it.
Residents, Doddington and District Parish Council, Hatherton and Walgherton Parish Council have all objected to the hotel plan on that basis, with ward councillor Janet Clowes saying the application currently fails to ‘provide evidence that the owner has made all reasonable efforts to sell the building to secure its restoration without progressing to the enabling development route’.
Other objections including the impact on highways and the landscape, the fact there are other nearby luxury hotels and the impact of outside events and noise levels, especially on livestock in regards to fireworks.
In a letter to Cheshire East from Doddington and District Parish Council, it states: “The council fully realise that this, on its own merit, is not an enabling application but again counter this as a route toward an enabling application.
“It is also felt that English Heritage and Cheshire East planning have not been proactive in enforcing any other way forward to save the hall without going down the enabling process. No one, neither councillors nor the public, are aware as suggested above, the hall has been looked at for other uses or to put it on the market.”
Nantwich Civic Society has written to support the application, saying: “After many years of neglect, this fine set of listed buildings, amid a listed landscape, is close to being restored…It will also create 60 new full time jobs, which is a significant number and benefit.”
And in the planning officer’s report to the council’s strategic planning board it states: “Inevitably, with this scale of intervention, there will be a degree of change to the setting of the hall…But, it also shouldn’t be forgotten that when in use as a country house there would have been activity.
“It was a living, breathing country estate, supporting the local community and economy, the life and energy of which has been missing from Doddington for many years.
“The house and its wider environment are in need of re-use to breathe new life into the property, secure its repair and long term use and to reverse the tide of decline. This investment will secure its removal from the national At Risk register.
“The proposal, which is solely for the conversion and extension of the building to form an hotel
must be considered on its own merits separately from any proposal for enabling development
which may or may not be submitted in the future.”