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15
Jun 2021
Helipad plan for Grantley Hall set for second refusal
A five-star luxury hotel and wedding venue near Ripon looks set to be refused permission to use a helicopter landing pad at the site.
Grantley Hall – an 18th century mansion which opened as a hotel after a £70m refurbishment in 2019 – wants to use an existing helipad to attract top events including luxury car launches and yachting clubs.
But its application has been recommended for refusal at a Harrogate Borough Council meeting on Tuesday.
After a previous application was rejected in March last year, the hotel said it had restricted flights to no more than three a month to address concerns about noise to nearby residents and animals.
It also said it could lose £650,000 in income if the helipad was not made available to the type of clients that it wants to attract.
However, a council planning officer has questioned how the helipad could fetch that much money and said the restricted number of flights would still have too great an impact on the area. The officer said in a report:
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Nidderdale AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), Grantley and Sawley Parish Council and residents have also objected to the plans, with one local warning the noise from flights would disturb daily lives and nature. Robert Ash said in a letter:
Michelin star
As part of its application, Grantley Hall commissioned its own noise impact report, which concluded restricted flight times and paths would mean access to the helipad would be carried out in the “quietest manner”.
However, the reasons for recommending refusal are the impact on the Nidderdale AONB and Studley Royal Park, which is classed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well the impact on ecology and biodiversity.
The planning officer’s report added:
Grantley Hall has 47 rooms and four restaurants, including one with a Michelin star, as well as 30 acres of wooded parkland and grounds.
It was used by West Riding County Council between 1947 and 1974 as an adult education residential college, as well as a training and conference centre by North Yorkshire County Council.
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