A COUNCIL is being urged to take action to prevent a former police headquarters being converted into a centre for children’s outdoor activities holidays.

Maunby, Newby Wiske and South Otterington Parish Council chairman Councillor Iain Glover said Hambleton District Council should do something positive with Newby Wiske Hall for the community, as it had done with other vacated public sector buildings.

The call comes ahead of a planning application to create a 550-bed PGL holiday centre at the grade II listed being reconsidered by Hambleton District Council’s planning committee later this year.

Cllr Glover highlighted how the council had bought the former Northallerton Prison and Lambert Memorial Hospital sites to benefit the community and could convert the 17th century hall into luxury flats and create affordable homes and a community area in the grounds.

He said: “If all this went ahead the grounds could also be opened up for use by the public for walking dogs and there’s a football pitch which could be brought back into use.”

The authority’s leader, Councillor Mark Robson, said he would be “more than happy” to talk to residents in general terms about their proposals for the hall’s future, but emphasised there was a live planning application still to be decided.