MONITORING of a controversial development at a stables linked to the birth of horseracing has found no evidence of planning consent being broken by it being used "a party house", rather than for holiday accommodation.
Residents in Marske, between Richmond and Reeth, had called for enforcement action at the grade II listed former stable block and coach house at Marske Hall last summer.
Read more: Council refuses to pay Welcome to Yorkshire amid claims of poor service
It came as works continued to refurbish what has been described as among the finest examples of polite architecture in the Yorkshire Dales.
Marske and New Forest Parish Council complained to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority over potential planning breaches at the quadrangular building which was the birthplace of 18th century stallion Marske, whose thoroughbred descendants include Kauto Star and Desert Orchid.
At the time, parish council chairman Nigel Philips said while planning consent had been granted to convert the building in the 19-acre grounds of Marske Hall into holiday accommodation, a number of the Swaledale village’s residents were concerned about noise and parking issues resulting from the building's future uses.
Marske Hall
The complaint came months after the developer's plan to transform Marske Hall itself into an exclusive wedding venue and aparthotel was rejected over its long-term impact on the listed buildings and the village’s tranquillity.
Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority officers told its planning committee they had been monitoring the property since the complaint and the 1741 building's owners had provided lists of guests who had visited.
An officer told the meeting: "There has been no evidence at all that is is being used as a party house. There has been no breach of control in that regard."
However, officers concluded that a stone wall on the site needed to be rebuilt to not harm the setting of the listed building and to screen oil tanks which had been installed without planning and listed building consents.
Read more: Free wifi for region's market towns came 'years too late', councillor claims
The meeting was told a planning application had been submitted to resolve the issues and officers believed both the impact of the changes and parking provision on the site were acceptable, so had recommended that permission be approved.
Before the revised plans were given consent, member Julie Martin questioned why the developers had set out to create 34 parking spaces on the site and said a planning condition was needed to ensure the 20 spaces created must only be used by guests.
She said: "This is a curious application and I can understand the concern of quite a number of local residents."
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
You can also follow our dedicated North Yorkshire Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.
For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here