Former school near Lancaster set to be turned into a hotel

The application, on behalf of Bowland Inns & Hotels, is for the change of use of the ex-residential school and ancillary buildings, as well as the erection of a single storey extension to the east, a single storey extension to the north and a two-storey extension to the north-east.

The school - which catered for children aged 11 to 16 with special educational needs - closed at the end of the 2022 summer term and was put up for sale.

It could accommodate 80 students, but had just 15 on its roll – eight of whom left in July.

Bowland Inns & Hotels, a hospitality company based in Clitheroe trading as James’ Places, have extensive experience of owning, developing and then operating a number of venues in the Ribble Valley, Kirkby Lonsdale and Settle - including the Royal Hotel in Kirkby Lonsdale.

Stanton Andrews Architects say Bowland have "extensive experience in unlocking the potential of listed properties, working sympathetically with the historic nature of the properties to ensure they have a sustainable life moving forward.

"They believe they are the right custodians for Wennington Hall to unlock its huge potential and support the local economy both now and in the years to come, offering guest accommodation for events and Eden Project North tourists moving forward," the architects say.

Wennington Hall is a primarily two-storey Grade II listed school, and is a former country house with towers with two additional floors.

A heritage statement says the overall appearance of the building, except for some 1960s extensions, would remain unaltered.

The primary heritage significances of the building - designed by the celebrated Victorian architect E.G. Paley - as derived from its architectural and historic interest, would be conserved.

The design proposal retains the existing character of the property by maintaining its existing layout and external appearance.

Rooms would be reassigned with new functions but fundamentally the building would be unchanged.

Wennington Hall would initially have 37 lettable rooms, of which 28 would be conventional one bedrooms with en-suites while the remainder would have multiple bedrooms and/or kitchens.

It is anticipated that the business would have an annual turnover of £3.5m after the initial 24-36 months' trading, rising to around £5m once the venue is fully established.

It would expect to host 80 to 90 weddings a year.

Full-time equivalent staff would expect to be around 20 with 20 to 30 casual/part-time staff.

Future plans for the site include converting outbuildings into treatment rooms, studios and gym spaces, as well as the possibility of a steam room, sauna and ice baths.

The sports hall would be improved and used for events, meetings and conferences as well as sports training and yoga/pilates classes.

Other buildings on the site could be used as staff accommodation or longer stay accommodation for visitors.

The stables and workshops would be converted into studios and potentially some overnight accommodation, in line with the less structured/lower impact style of other well-being retreats.

Other space could be transformed into a pop-up cinema, theatre and exhibition space.