Grantley Hall has appealed a council order to prevent it from using a helipad after an alleged planning breach.
Harrogate Borough Council issued an enforcement notice against the hotel for using the helipad for take off and landings without planning permission.
The luxury hotel, which is located five miles west of Ripon, withdrew plans to operate the helicopter landing pad in June 2021.
The authority then ordered the hotel to “cease the use of the land for the taking off and landing of helicopter flights” and remove the helipad from the land.
According to the notice, the helipad’s location causes damage to the area and the significance of a heritage asset in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The order adds:
“It fails to protect or enhance those features which contribute to the special architectural or historic interest of the heritage asset and does not make a positive contribution to the character of the area.”
A picture of the helipad in the Grantley Hall grounds submitted to the Planning Inspectorate.
However, Grantley Hall has since appealed the order and requested that permission is granted for the helipad.
The hotel said that 70 flights took place at the hotel between October 2021 and September 2022, with visitors coming from Jersey, Bournemouth and Melrose in Scotland.
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It added that all the flights took place during the day time and it was “clear evidence for the demand for this facility”.
In documents submitted to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which deals with appeals, the hotel said it had met with the council in September 2022 and confirmed it had stopped taking helicopter bookings.
The hotel said it was happy for conditions to be placed on its proposals and was willing to meet with the council to discuss mitigation measures.
It said in its planning documents:
“The appellant is eager to work with Harrogate Borough Council to ensure that Grantley Hall’s ability to deliver a first-class service and contribution to the local and regional economy does not compromise the local amenity and setting and significance of Grantley Hall.”
The Stray Ferret approached Grantley Hall for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
A government planning inspector will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.
Three planning withdrawals
The hotel withdrew plans for the helicopter landing pad for a third time in June 2021 after council officers recommended rejecting the proposal.
Nidderdale AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), Grantley and Sawley Parish Council and several residents objected to the plans, with one local describing the application as “totally unnecessary” and “self-fulfilling”.
The hotel has withdrawn three applications and had another rejected since first asking for permission to use an existing helipad in 2018.
Grantley Hall opened as a hotel after a £70 million refurbishment in 2019.
It was once 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.