Plans To Turn Grade I Listed Castle Into Hotel Criticised By Local Council
A controversial plan to convert an 18th Century castle on the Isle of Wight into a five-star luxury hotel has faced considerable opposition, with claims that the development would harm the potential chance of an extensive listed building restoration.
Norris Castle, a Grade I listed castle on the Isle of Wight, has been owned by the Norris Castle Estate Group (NCEG) since 2016, with the intention of renovating the castle, abandoned since the death of previous owner Major Digby Coventry in 2014 into a luxury hotel.
The planning applications would convert the castle into 120 homes and a 74 room hotel, the former to be offered to local residents first before being sold on the open market, and the total cost of the conversion has been estimated to total over £107m, over £16m in repairs alone.
Amongst the many proposals are plans to convert farmhouse buildings into a spa and wellness centre, building dozens of luxury suites on the grounds itself to avoid the risk of landslip, as well as building 120 homes on Springhill Estate to mitigate the cost of the entire project.
Nearly every aspect of the proposal has been criticised, with detailed objections provided by the local East Cowes Town Council, who unanimously voted in opposition to the scheme and published a 12-page objection outlining their reasons why.
Their primary objections include, but are far from limited to the harm it would cause to Grade I and II listed buildings and structures, concerns about traffic in the area, issues with over-development, and objects to claims by NCEG that the development is necessary given the state of the building.
Other comments strongly criticised the proposals as creating a “millionaires’ playground” that had been justified by the Group as being necessary to minimise the number of new properties to be constructed and the overall harm to the estate.
The Isle of Wight council, the Local Planning Authority for the castle, is expected to make a decision in May 2022.