A BLUEPRINT has been drawn up for a heritage-led regeneration of the East Cleveland village of Kirkleatham which dates back to the Domesday survey.

It could mean turning the popular Old Hall Museum into a luxury hotel.

But there could be obstacles, as there are several historic buildings involved, some on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk register, and councillors accept they have a duty to protect such buildings.

Next week, a major package of measures will be considered to revive the Georgian village which includes the nearby almshouses built by the Turner family and now run by a trust, which have recently undergone an independent multi-million pound renovation.

If the council package is approved, Kirkleatham Museum could be turned into a hotel with the collections and displays being shifting into a former stable block.

A nursery would be turned into a garden centre.

Redcar and Cleveland Council leader, Coun David Walsh, said: "The entire Kirkleatham site is one of the area's hidden gems. The hall and surrounding grounds and outbuildings are part of a classic country house complex and deserve to be protected for the enjoyment of future generations.

"Parts, including the stable block, have to be restored or they will be lost forever. We have a moral, as well as a legal, duty to protect these listed buildings and I believe that with proper marketing we can achieve this aim."

On Tuesday, the council executive will be asked for agreement to begin consultations on the findings of a report, to be completed before the council gives full consideration to its recommendations.

One of the biggest hurdles is the fact that six of the highest-graded listed buildings are on the at risk register, five of them in council ownership.

The council conservation and design manager, Alan Adams, said: "Kirkleatham has the greatest concentration of Grade I and Grade II* listed buildings in the borough and the biggest concentration of buildings at risk in the North-East outside Newcastle.

"There is, however, a unique chance to take an imaginative approach to addressing the problems of a decaying historic environment in a way which could boost the regeneration not only of the village itself but the area as a whole."

The museum, which opened in 1981, was closed for several months in 1999 to allow for a £100,000 package of alterations. This gave disabled people easier access to the main galleries on first and second floors.

Built in 1709 and originally used as a free school, by the mid-Seventies the listed building had become a rotting pile and there was talk in the former Langbaurgh Council about possibly having to pull it down.

However, the house was restored at a cost of nearly £500,000, with the aid of Government funding, and became a museum. A few years later, a £1m glass-domed extension was added, and since the appointment of a full-time curator and other staff, the museum has added to its collections and become a popular venue for all sorts of educational and tourist activities.

Though the architect is unknown, there have been suggestions that the house bears the hallmark of Sir Christopher Wren.