Wedding venue plan for country house approved

Plans to return a 19th Century country house to its "former glory" have been given the go-ahead.

Derby City Council has approved a planning application from Staton Young to turn Allestree Hall, in Allestree Park, into a venue that could accommodate 160 wedding guests and 85 overnight guests.

Documents submitted by the developer said the proposed development would increase visitor numbers to a local attraction that had been "partially derelict" for decades.

The council - which purchased the site in 1946 - said it was liaising with the developer to "move forwards" to the completion of the initial 250-year lease of the hall.

Staton Young said between 15,000 and 20,000 people a year would attend weddings and functions at the country house.

The plans said: "The development will increase visitor numbers to a local attraction which has otherwise been partially derelict for decades.

"Allestree Hall and park will offer a picturesque wedding venue with countryside surroundings whilst being located close to the city centre."

Built in the early 1800s on land once owned by the Mundy family of Markeaton Hall, Allestree Hall was commissioned by Bache Thornhill and designed by James Wyatt, an architect who also directed the building of Heaton Hall in Manchester.

After acquiring the property in 1946, the council turned part of the grounds into an 18-hole golf course which closed in November 2020.

Since then, the land has returned to nature, becoming the UK's largest urban rewilding project.

Planning documents said Allestree Hall was a Grade II listed building and had been on Historic England's heritage at risk register since 2010.

"The proposals represent a unique opportunity for the buildings to be restored back to their former glory; with a sympathetic and viable long-term use," plans added.

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