No end in sight to historic hall fight

A ROW over the future of a crumbling East Yorkshire architectural gem looks set to blaze on for even longer.

Planners appeared to wash their hands of the issue by giving the nod of approval to two rival schemes for Elmswell Old Hall, near Driffield.

The owners, the Mackrill family, and the Spitalfields Trust, have been left to thrash out a solution for derelict manor house.

The long-running saga has already cost East Riding Council �150,000, the planning committee heard at County Hall in Beverley yesterday.

Members approved the trust's scheme to restore the house, on the Elmswell country estate at Garton-on-the-Wolds, to its former glory.

Elmswell Heritage, set up by the owners, submitted a rival scheme to partially demolish the hall and turn it into a historic monument, was deferred for negotiations between the two sides, with permission to follow.

Planning officers recommended approval of the Spitalfields scheme, but urged that planning permission for the rival scheme should be refused.

Oliver Leigh-Wood, of Spitalfields, said: "Elmswell Old Hall is the most important agricultural building in East Yorkshire. It was the home of Henry Best, who helped revolutionise farming, and also national and international importance.

"History will judge us extremely harshly if we can't find a way to prevent this architectural gem from being reduced to a ruin."

Mr Leigh-Wood said they had offered to buy the hall, but had no response from the owners or their solicitors.

He said: "We are prepared to buy the hall and return it to its former glory at no cost to the council.

"It could be something that the council and everyone else who appreciates the history of this building could be extremely proud of."

The Mackrill family, owners of the estate, set up Elmswell Heritage Ltd, to turn the building into a monument that could be visited.

But David Hardy, a solicitor acting for the family, said there was no prospect of the Spitalfields scheme being implemented because they did not own the building or the land.

Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32715/f/503342/s/1291abb9/l/0L0Sthisishullandeastriding0O0Cnews0Cend0Esight0Ehistoric0Ehall0Efight0Carticle0E31932550Edetail0Carticle0Bhtml/story01.htm

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