Historic site in Eye could see unused barn range turned into holiday homes and spa
Flemmings Hall, in Bedingfield, is Grade II listed
A historic site in Eye could see an unused barn range turned into new holiday homes and a spa.
The site, Flemmings Hall, is situated in Bedingfield, Eye, and is classified as a Grade II* building and one with special ‘historic and architectural interest’ due to its history spanning back over a thousand years.
It is set within a moated enclosure in the Suffolk countryside and is close to many popular tourist destinations to the east.
Now, the applicant, Mr Phillippe, is looking to turn the courtyard of existing barns, to the south east of the Hall, into three holiday lets, alongside a new fourth unit being built to the east of the site — none of which have the same listing as the main hall.
With the site having a significant historical context attached to it, planning permission will likely rest on the impact the development would have on the site’s heritage.
The building within the proposals which is likely to face the most pressure is an 18th-century standalone thatched oak framed barn at the centre of the site to be turned into a one-bed home.
But the applicant’s agent, Fieldwork Architects, argues the overall level of harm which would result from the plans would be ‘less than substantial’ or even ‘very low’.
Instead, the revenue obtained from the usage of the new proposals could be used for the maintenance and repair of the more historically significant buildings.
This would also, the agent argues, ‘allow a greater appreciation and understanding of the site to the public by allowing access to the farmstead part of the site for holidays’.