Plans for a major rejuvenation at the Studley Royal end of Fountains Abbey look set to be approved.

The National Trust submitted plans for the £4.6 million Studley Revealed project in August 2023.

The project would see an accessible café, admission point and toilets created, and North Yorkshire Council has now recommended its Skipton and Ripon planning committee approve it at a meeting next week. 

As part of the scheme, a single-storey extension to the grade-two listed tearoom building, which currently houses the toilet block and ticket office, would be demolished.

The National Trust then seeks to erect a single-storey flat roof extension of “contemporary appearance” to the tearoom building.

A 33-page report, prepared by planning officer Emma Walsh ahead of next week’s meeting, advises the plans would allow seating for 60 people inside - the current capacity is 54 - reduced from 88 as originally planned. 

The amended plans, which were submitted last July, also reduced the proposed outdoor seating from 158 to 96. 

The National Trust said the tearoom becomes overcrowded with long queues, which can make access for wheelchair and pushchair users difficult.

The report said the amendments were made after the International Council for Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) raised concerns about the proposal having "a negative impact on the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site".

The report acknowledges the development would be of “moderate scale”, but it would appear “visually subservient” to the existing tearoom.

As part of the proposal, the tearoom - which is currently on the Deer Park side of the site and free to access - would be brought inside the water garden and only accessible to those willing to pay entry.

Planting and landscaping work would also be carried out, including the re-installation of an oval pathway to the south of the Canal Gates and Bosco hedges planted to create a "glimpsed-view garden". 

As well as the scale of the café being reduced, the amended plans also included changes to the landscaping scheme, such as planting between the balustrade and tearoom. 

Plans also say interpretation spaces would be created inside the extension, which would include various installations and designs to teach visitors about the history of the site and its gardens.

The ticket gate system would also be “rationalised to the eastern access to Fountains Abbey and Water Gardens”, should plans be approved. 

A number of public benefits are identified in the report, which include providing an improved quality of facilities for tourists and an increased understanding of site’s history and landscaping.

It says the re-siting of the ticket barrier would simplify and streamline the entrance system, and accessibility to the tearoom would also improve.

Historic England initially raised concerns about the “minor visual impact” the development could have on other views. However, it welcomed the changes made to the original plans. 

The plans have been recommended for approval subject to 16 conditions.

Members of the Skipton and Ripon area planning committee will consider the application on Tuesday (February 4).

The National Trust is also seeking listed building consent for the development, which has been recommended for approval. 

Meeting will bring benefits to members' attention, manager says

Ahead of next week's meeting, Justin Scully, general manager at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, told the Stray Ferret:

Other plans

The National Trust also submitted a concurrent planning application to convert an "underused" toilet block in the Studley Royal grounds.

Part of the existing block will be retained but the rest will be used as a refreshment kiosk.

The application said one set of toilets will be lost as part of the scheme, but these would be replaced and their “overall provision enhanced” as part of the development.

The kiosk would offer an alternative to the tearoom for those not wanting to pay entry. Plans said at the time:

The application was approved last June.