Historical hall's £3.5m refurbishment approved

A charity has been given approval to undergo a £3.5m refurbishment of a Victorian mansion house and estate.

Improvements, which were approved unanimously by North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC), will include building a specialist training centre, offices and a sensory library at Weelsby Hall in Grimsby, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Linkage Community Trust, the custodian of the hall, has used the buildings to serve the needs of people with learning disabilities and autism for more than 40 years.

The stables, close to Weelsby Road/A46, would also be extended and turned into care units with on-site carers.

Linkage was awarded the £3.5m grant by the National Lottery Heritage Fund earlier this year.

The plans went before NELC due to neighbour objections relating to the impact on wildlife, with loss of some trees, and privacy and noise concerns linked to the stable's transformation, near to the Brunel Close homes.

Daniel Smith, one of a small group of volunteers working with Linkage on the plans, said the hall "faces abandonment, arson and vandalism" if it was not approved, the LDRS adds.

Addressing nearby residents’ concerns, AnotherKind architect Joe Player said environmental protections are in place and there would be no changes in boundary landscaping resulting in neighbours' loss of privacy.

On the stables transformation, he said: "This specialist care facility will have round-the-clock carers for each resident and a warden so that they won’t be left unsupervised."

Councillor Henry Hudson said saying yes to the plans would "preserve the building for future generations".

Councillor Kevin Shutt said he understood the "frustration" of residents whose homes back on to the stables, but said it is a "great opportunity".

Linkage runs four college programmes for 16 to 25 year olds with learning difficulties and disabilities in Weelsby, Toynton-All-Saints, Boultham Park in Lincoln and Beverley in East Riding.

The hall is situated in Weelsby Woods and was built in 1890 with links to Grimsby's fishing heritage.

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