Thornbridge Hall planning battle: winners and losers react to Peak District inquiry result

Emma and James Harrison, who have owned Thornbridge Hall near Ashford-in-the-Water since 2002, were ultimately successful in their appeal against an order from the Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) to demolish a visitor café, driveways, car park and other additions which were said to have been built without prior permission.

The national Planning Inspectorate ruled in the couple’s favour on Thursday, March 23, stating that the public, social and economic benefits of the development outweighed harm to the environment, listed buildings or ‘scenic beauty’.

Emma, whose attachment to the property stretches back to her days as a troubled teenager attending what was then a Sheffield City Council education centre, said: “It’s absolutely wonderful news. It’s been very, very difficult, and very emotional for all the people who have worked on the case. Now we can say that Thornbridge is for everyone forever.

“Thornbridge transformed my life, and I’ve worked with the national park authority for 20 years restoring the hall from its dire state, and working out how it can carry on transforming lives. It’s my life’s work to make sure this place lives on for hundreds more years.”

No stranger to public scrutiny given her history with controversial government contractor A4e, Emma added: “This dispute has been eye-wateringly expensive, and a waste of money on both sides. It’s cost hundreds of thousands of pounds and lots of stress all our staff. That’s the disgrace of it. That money could have been spent on rebuilding the estate.

“It’s been a really tough time but we’ve got the result we needed to move forward. It’s absolutely fantastic and we’ve had so many messages of support and celebration today from people who love this place.”

Aside from the Harrisons, the biggest beneficiaries of the dispute may have been the small army of consultants and lawyers drafted in to argue over interpretations of the historic value of the grade II listed building, park and garden which the owners call ‘the quirkiest stately home in the UK.’

Among them were leading barrister Jonathan Easton KC with Kathryn Sather & Associates providing evidence on heritage and Nic Folland of Barnes Walker giving landscape evidence.

In a message to those who the Harrisons employed to fight their corner, Jim said: “Many, many thanks to you all for sharing our passion for Thornbridge and helping us get us this win. It means the world to us, and all our supporters. Now the proper work begins.”

For their part, consultants Emery Planning issued a statement saying: “Mr and Mrs Harrison are dedicated to the long-term conservation of the heritage assets at Thornbridge Hall and estate for the long-term benefit of the public. The development had been undertaken to enable extensive public access to the Hall and grounds and to deliver a wide package of public benefits.

“The appeal proposals have enabled them to open more widely to the public, creating a profit stream to fund restoration and ongoing repairs and secure the heritage assets for future generations.”

Almost two years on from imposing the enforcement notice, which required the land to be restored to its previous state, PDNPA accepted the decision but maintained that its approach to the case had been justified.

A spokesperson said: “As a national park authority and planning authority, we respect the decision made by the planning inspector and acknowledge the reasoning set out in the decision notice. We are now taking the time to assess the full implications.

“The object of the Authority's decision to take enforcement action was to ensure the unique character of this very important Grade II-listed hall and associated structures, set within a Registered Park and Garden and Conservation Area, was protected.”

They added: “The formal planning and development management process administered by the authority remains crucial to safeguarding the special qualities of the Peak District National Park. We will continue to ensure this remains the case with all applications and, where necessary, by issuing enforcement notices to help protect the area's unique characteristics.”

Beyond the Peaks, the judgement may have further implications for the defence of heritage assets all over the country, with Historic England – the public body that looks after the nation’s historic environment – coming down strongly on the side of PDNPA during the six-day planning inquiry.

On Thursday, a spokesperson for Historic England said: “We are aware of the appeal decision and will be looking at it in detail.”

The Harrisons are not yet entirely free to do as they wish with the estate, which only this month was recognised with a bronze award for ‘attraction of the year’ from tourist board Visit Peak District & Derbyshire.

The planning inspector ordered that they bring the existing development into line with plans set out retrospectively with PDNPA in October 2022, including a pledge to draw up a major conservation plan for the estate, additional landscaping works and management plans, archaeological evaluations, tree preservation and planting.

The Harrisons must also submit site-specific car parking and event management plans, remove painted lines on the driveways, car park and café area to mitigate their visual impact, improve drainage in all those same areas, and make plans to alter the external windows and doors to the café building.

Each of the 13 conditions carry the potential for further enforcement action, which could stretch to demolition of all building operations – potentially setting the stage for further legal battles to come.

For full details of the inspector’s appeal decision, background documents and the new conditions, search for case 3279072 at planninginspectorate.gov.uk and portal.peakdistrict.gov.uk.

For more information on visiting Thornbridge, which is open seven days a week, see thornbridgehall.co.uk.

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