Holiday let owners bid to clear up planning status of old DRI site
THE owners of a historic former Derbyshire Royal Infirmary building turned holiday let say they are looking to clear up its status after filing a planning application years after it started operating.
Chris Davis, co-owner of the familyrun Peak Manor holiday let in Makeney Road, Holbrook, says the venue has been “battered, economically” during the pandemic.
The Grade-II listed building, between Derby and Belper, known historically as Mohan House and Brook House, has been operating for a number of years as a holiday let and wedding venue.
However, its owners were recently informed by Amber Valley Borough Council that they did not have planning permission for the change of use to a holiday let and needed to apply retrospectively.
Mr Davis said permission was not required when the venue began operating as a holiday let in early 2019, but was now seeking to validate this, saying there had been “no attempt to deceive”.
Application documents for the venue, built by the Strutt family, say: “The application has been submitted as a result of dialogue with the council’s enforcement officer following concerns expressed by the occupants of nearby dwellings on Pond Road – at the rear of the site.”
It says when the building started to be used as a holiday let: “Planning permission was not sought at the time, because the applicant did not realise that the use constituted a material change.”
The property, built in 1899 in association with Derby Infirmary, can cater for up to 28 people at a time, and before its use as a holiday let it was a family home.
Application documents written by IMcH Planning and Development say guests renting the property tend to be larger families or company employees who stay for a week or a few days.
Mr Davis told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “When we started, we didn’t need permission to do it and it is the council which informed us that there were changes made during Covid and we needed permission and that they would expect retrospective planning.
“There is a request for planning in place and the council has been out and spoken to us.
“There has been no attempt to deceive on our part. As soon as we became aware permission was required we applied for it retrospectively and we have cooperated fully with the council and a planning application is in place. Permission was not required when we first started. We were not aware that we needed permission until we were made aware.
“It has been an unprecedented and impossibly difficult time for hospitality and leisure. We have had a really difficult time here and we are trying to comply with all of the requirements and we are not looking to operate outside the rules.
“We have the planning and the environment people out and they all seem happy with it. We have submitted detailed drawings and explained how it all works. This is an historic building which we feel has no other use. We feel it is too big to be family accommodation, being 15-16 bedrooms, and it works really well in terms of preserving a heritage asset – it being used and maintained.
“It brings money into the local economy and we are looking to sponsor the
local football team.We are trying to be good citizens here.
“Holiday lets have had a bit of a bad rap lately, because people have hired places and had parties in them and the hosts weren’t aware.
“We have paid out for a Ring system on the house and we have something called a Minut inside the house which actually tracks noise and the number of people in the house and the number of electronic WiFi devices in the house.
“So if anyone were to try and do that to us, which has happened once in the past, we will know. We have also paid for extra security for the benefit of the residents and ourselves and our reputation.”
Planning documents say: “The proposal has resulted in a viable and sympathetic use of a listed building and its grounds. The size of the property and its grounds mean that alternative uses (e,g, care home or offices) will be difficult to find and be viable without extensive alterations or extensions, which could detract from the heritage value of the site.
“It is accepted that the use of the property has resulted in concerns relating to noise and disturbance being raised by some local residents.
“The applicant believes that the use of the property for events was the main reason for the disturbance experienced by the residents.
“As a result, the marquee has been removed from the site and the holding of events is no longer part of the use.
“The proposal is now solely for use as holiday accommodation, targeted at families and friends.
“Obviously, this includes use of the grounds and some noise from children playing and guests enjoying the outdoor space is inevitable.”
The borough council will make a decision in the next few months.