6 days Ago
Plans to convert Whorlton Hall near Barnard Castle were approved by Durham County Council on March 3, 2025, allowing the historic site to undergo significant changes. The application, submitted by Dalton Mill Limited and managed by Lichfields, was initially filed on August 10, 2023. Approved plans include transforming the building into five separate homes, and two new homes will be built on the site.
Additional work will include landscaping, restoring estate fencing, refurbishing stone entrance piers, and adding more car parking spaces. The development will take place in Whorlton Conservation Area and near several Grade II listed landmarks, including St. Mary’s Church and Whorlton Suspension Bridge.
Concerns were raised by the council's landscape team about the impact on the village's appearance, as the development would change key visual approaches to the area. Four trees, mostly categorised as C, will be removed, but replacement planting and protection measures are included in the plan. Ecological considerations have also been addressed, with plans to create 0.
22 hectares of neutral grassland and implement bat and bird habitat compensation measures. Development will also convert 0.23 hectares of lowland into woodland as part of a nutrient neutrality mitigation plan, which has been confirmed as acceptable by Natural England.
The scheme will increase the total number of parking spaces from 23 to 31 and make all eight homes suitable for older people and those with disabilities. Despite concerns from some residents about noise, privacy, and environmental impact, historic England had no objections to the plan. The project, however, will not provide affordable housing due to its qualification for vacant building credit.
Durham County Council's decision comes with several planning conditions, including a 30-year biodiversity management plan, tree protection and replanting, archaeological recording and conservation, broadband connection provision, and drainage compliance. The approval comes after Whorlton Hall was the subject of an undercover BBC Panorama documentary in 2019 that found several staff members at the hospital mistreated vulnerable patients. Most read Durham Constabulary carried out a lengthy and complex investigation following the Panorama documentary being aired.
Immediate action was taken and within 36 hours of the programme being aired, several carers employed at Whorlton Hall were arrested at their home addresses and interviewed by police. Former staff members Peter Bennett, Matthew Banner, Ryan Fuller and John Sanderson were sentenced in 2024 for ill-treating residents..
