A developer is to reveal its vision to turn a historic hall which has stood empty for 40 years into a top wedding venue.
Earlier this year, Derby City Council, which owns Allestree Hall, put the Grade II-listed building up for sale, seeking expressions of interest from developers who could sympathetically restore the local landmark.
In September, the authority revealed it had identified a preferred bidder for the hall and outbuildings.
Now, West Mill Venue Ltd, a family-owned Derby company, has said it is ready to share its vision for Allestree Hall with the public.
Allestree Hall comprises an imposing 19th century stone-built, former country house, with outbuildings arranged over two to three storeys.
It is located within Allestree Park, a 300-acre public space, including woodland, lake and local nature reserve.
West Mill Venue has said it wants to turn Allestree Hall into a country house wedding venue with guest accommodation, restoring its heritage assets including the hall, stables and icehouse.
According to the firm, the stables will be converted into staff and additional wedding guest accommodation.
Its plans also include a small cookery school to train local people and catering staff at the wedding venue.
A demolished section of the walled garden will be reinstated to create a kitchen garden, which will supply produce to the wedding venue, as well as support a community garden project.
Andrew Rose, director of West Mill, said: “We want to rescue the building by sympathetically restoring it back to its original purpose as a country house, as well as creating a positive impact on the local area and its people.
“Our proposals are based on a realistic approach to planning and listed building consent. Allestree Hall, its outbuildings and gardens will be maintained in a single ownership.
“We are the developer, as well as the long-term operator for our buildings, enabling decisions to have a positive impact on the historic fabric of the buildings, while safeguarding their future.
“We are very keen to bring a major local landmark into use again. Large parts of the hall have been unused for over forty years.
“This is a project that we are very passionate about as my mothers’ family are from Allestree and the buildings are very important to local people.
“The investment will positively impact the local area, creating more than 50 permanent jobs and providing an economic boost for local suppliers.”
Mr Rose said that building works could start next summer with Allestree Hall hosting its first weddings by the end of 2021.
West Mill Venue has a proven track record of turning listed heritage assets into wedding venues and guest accommodation.
In 2015, the firm completed the restoration of the West Mill at Darley Abbey Mills, in Derby, which is a Grade I-listed former cotton spinning mill. The wedding venue project won numerous architecture awards - and today welcomes more than 15,000 wedding guests a year.
Two years’ later, West Mill Venue restored the former Mill Manager’s House at Darley Abbey Mills into guest accommodation with eight en-suite bedrooms.
Now, the firm is hoping to do the same for Allestree Hall and has been drawing up plans with the help of Derby-based heritage architects Guy Taylor and Associates.
Paul Stanton, from Guy Taylor Associates, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Andrew Rose of The West Mill Venue Ltd on the conversion of Allestree Hall to a country house wedding venue with guest accommodation.
“Allestree Hall and parkland are significantly constrained by policies relating to public open space, nature conservation and the historic environment.
“The proposals will respond to planning polices by providing a sustainable and viable reuse of the hall, with minimum intervention to the historic fabric of the building and its significance.
“Within the grounds external features will be safeguarded including the walled garden, icehouse and woodland setting.
“On a personal note, I feel this is excellent news for the local area. I am local to Allestree and have been a frequent visitor to Allestree Park since I was a child.
“During this time the majority of the hall has been disused and inaccessible. The proposal will return the hall to its former glory as a country house and this nationally important asset will become accessible to the public for the first time in a generation.”
Plans for Allestree Hall will go on display at a public exhibition, which is due to take place on Tuesday, November 19, from 4pm to 7pm, at St Edmund’s Church Hall, Allestree, Derby, DE22 2NF.
