Plans to redevelop 'Red Dress Manor' in Powys approved

The Grade II listed Calcott Hall in Llandysilio, more commonly known as Red Dress Manor will be redeveloped after developers received planning consent from Powys County Council.

The manor which dates back to the 18th Century, has been in disrepair for many years after the previous owner died in the 1970s and the property was abandoned.

The dilapidation of the house led to it becoming a favourite site for urban explorers, gaining national attention for being “spooky” or “eerie”.

The plans to will see the “renovation and reinstatement of the abandoned dwelling” including the “demolition of lean to structure on east elevation and outbuilding” and the “conversion of the barn range to form seven residential units”.

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Roger Parry and partners who submitted the plans on behalf of owners Mr Brown and Mrs Jones said: “Calcott Hall and its associated barns is an unusually rare example in Montgomeryshire of an early Georgian Country House.

"Unfortunately, the Hall and its buildings have been deteriorating year by year, in light of it being abandoned with no occupation together with lack of ownership after the owner passed away.

“The current owners who are Brown and Jones’ are keen to bring life back to the Hall and the barns with a sympathetic and minimalistic renovation and conversion of the dwelling and barns.

“The conversion of the buildings have been proposed as sympathetically as possible and trying to utilise all existing openings, and utilising the existing layout.

“It is important that a light touch is given to its conversion, to ensure the characteristics and materials are retained.

“The barns are all narrow, and therefore in order to provide suitable residential units without compromising existing walls, seven units were the best fit for the site.

“As part of the Hall renovation, it is clear that these barns need to be converted to ensure the work goes hand in hand. The nature of the barns make them easily converted to residential uses, and no other uses would be suitable such as workshops, business, offices, given its isolated position.”

They added that “The only alternative option is do nothing, and leave the buildings in agricultural use. However, it has shown in the past 10 years that the agricultural use of these barns are predominantly redundant, and the modern way of farming will just reduce that even further.

“This is not an option, as it will just leave the buildings to dilapidate even further and require rebuilding instead of conversion.”