TEN years after opening a hotel venture based in part of a Victorian mansion, the owner has been granted planning permission.
Richard Sharpe said he was delighted by the decision of Richmondshire District Council. It meant his six-bedroom “quiet rural retreat” at West Layton Manor, near Ravensworth, could continue, securing five rural economy jobs at a time when similar nearby businesses were struggling with economic pressures.
Neighbours of the hotel had complained that despite having raised concerns over unauthorised development at a licensing meeting of the local authority, the enterprise had been allowed to continue, causing them “stress and anxiety” .
The property near the A66 was built in the 1870s by coal tycoon John Easton. In 1880 the heiress Emma Easton died in mysterious cicumstances in a locked room there.
Mr Sharpe said he had been shocked to learn the building’s planning consent to welcome paying guests had expired.
He said: “As far as we were aware, as were all the previous owners for the last ten years, the original hotel planning permission was still valid.”
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
