Plans to hold weddings in a Liverpool beauty spot got a major boost after councillors gave them the go ahead this morning.
The Mansion House in Calderstones Park could be used to host functions like weddings and parties under plans from The Reader Organisation, the charity that runs the site.
The building is currently undergoing a massive renovation with hopes it can reopen to the public in the coming months.
The Reader is planning to make the use the site for events and performances as well as move the cafe back into the building.
The charity's Anton Clarke told councillors this morning that while weddings wouldn't become the main use of the building they were important for the Mansion House's financial sustainability.
He said: "Part of our business plan for us to be sustainable in Calderstones is to be able to weddings and birthday parties.
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"Other parts of the business still play a bigger role in what we do."
The Reader Society was founded in Liverpool over 15 years ago and has pioneered 'shared reading' as a way of tackling isolation and improving wellbeing.
The charity works with groups including children in care, prisoners and people with dementia and now operates in countries across the globe.
There had been some objections to the plans to host weddings from neighbours concerned about anti-social behaviour and crime, however no one attended today's meeting.
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A statement on the charity's website said 'rowdy' parties would not be welcomed at the venue and there would be guidelines passed to guests on acceptable behaviour at events.
The Reader says it's keen to revive the Mansion House as a location for wedding receptions after hearing stories from people who had their receptions there in the past.
The statement reads:"From a practical point of view, hosting events will generate income to cover some of the ongoing costs of running the House, sustaining its long term future for us all, as well as supporting our wider charitable work."
