Boarding school to become retirement apartments

Plans to convert a 16th Century castle and former boarding school into retirement apartments have been approved.

Gilling Castle, a Grade I-listed building between Thirsk and Malton, was used as a preparatory school for Ampleforth College until it closed in 2018.

The development will create 21 apartments in the main building, with 14 further homes in the grounds.

Members of North Yorkshire Council's planning committee said the proposals "ticked a lot of boxes" and would bring a heritage asset back into use.

Councillor Bob Packham said that it was a "well-thought-out scheme".

He added: "It really does enhance the existing building, which needs retaining."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the new residential flats will be staffed 24 hours a day

Another member of the committee, Andrew Lee, said: "For me, it ticks a lot of boxes.

"You're taking a building which is empty, it closed in 2018, and you're repurposing it for housing, which is something that is necessary.

"You're bringing back into use a heritage asset, which is a positive."

The property was built by Sir William Fairfax, High Sheriff of Yorkshire, in 1571 on top of the medieval walls of a fortified house.

The plans had the support of Historic England, which said it was "very supportive of the new use in principle as it is eminently compatible with the heritage significance of the site".

The castle lies within the Howardian Hills National Landscape and an objection was submitted by the manager of the scheme to the new-build apartments in the grounds, with the Gardens Trust also objecting to this aspect of the scheme.

Sport England submitted an objection due to the loss of playing pitches.

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