'At risk' manor house near Market Harborough is set for a huge refurbishment

The owners of a historic manor house in the Harborough district look set to refurbish the property after applying to the council for planning permission.

Noseley Hall is a Grade II-listed property near Goadby and its owners have applied to Harborough District Council to make a number of changes to the property.

Built in the 1720s, it has an extensive planning history and was formerly open to the public and used to host weddings – although according to its website, it no longer hosts the events but ‘will consider holding private functions’.

In 2012, it was sold for £7.8 million and now the owners plan to conduct ‘sensitive conservation repairs and refurbishment’ in order it for become a ‘a functioning single-family home’.According to planning documents, the site has been vacant for several years and is noted as being an ‘at risk building’. On the extensive site sits the large manor house, stables and a grade I-listed chapel built in the 13th Century.

Due to its size, the work to the historic hall is set to be completed in a number of phases, and the most recent application intends to alter the basement. Currently this floor is unused and has an office, lobby, male and female toilets, a bathroom and a bedroom.

The documents state they are all in ‘poor condition’ and the developer intends to remove an existing staircase and build a boot room. This will also see the male and female toilets ‘reconfigured’ and the ‘careful removal’ of parts of the historic walls to provide a larger space.

Historic England, the government department which advises on the country’s historic environment has been consulted on the project. It labelled Noseley Hall as a ‘fine example’ of an 18th Century country house built within an ‘older estate’ that could date back to the Elizabethan era.

The organisation said it had no objection to the majority of the proposed work as they appear to be low impact, but it did have some concerns about the proposed removal of a wall to provide the large boot room.

A decision is expected by September 26.