A former swimming pool building at a historic Derbyshire stately home could be turned into 15 hotel rooms to further its transformation into a children’s adventure centre.
The plans, from Globerow Ltd, would see the former swimming pool building at Willersley Castle, next to the River Derwent, in Cromford, turned into 15 hotel rooms.
A decision will be made by Derbyshire Dales District Council in the next few months.
Accommodation at the wider historic estate – formerly the Grade II*-listed home of Sir Richard Arkwright – already provides space for up to 90 people, with the site primarily aimed at school groups.
The adventure centre scheme, close to Wildcat Crags, seeks to make the Derbyshire Dales a national leader for outdoor recreation.
A report submitted with the application details that the former swimming pool complex sits 100 metres north of the main building.
It says all 15 rooms in the former swimming pool building would have en-suite bathrooms, to provide further rooms for the adventure centre guests and staff.
Meanwhile, solar panels would also be installed on the roof, which represents the only major external change planned for the building, alongside the re-cladding of ageing timber.
Ground-source heat pumps would also be installed in a bid to reduce carbon emissions.
The report says: “The subject building is relatively modern in form and construction and has no particular architectural merit. It is situated remote from the historic buildings located within the grounds.
“The alterations will not impact, in any way, on the historic buildings, their setting, or the character of the designated Historic Park. Accordingly, there will be no harm to any heritage asset arising from this proposal.”
Cllr Garry Purdy, leader of the council, has already responded to the application, writing: “Any changes to this historic heritage asset setting needs to be examined and judged very carefully.
“Obviously the financial need to add more beds is greater than the retention of the swimming pool, especially because local people were able to use the facility at a modest cost and I would have thought that its retention would add to the facilities for the children to use.
“Given the fact of the authority’s own climate change agenda policy, we really ought to be encouraging and supporting green energy and therefore I have no objection to the implementation of heat source pumps.”
The children’s adventure centre conversion of the historic stately home was approved by the district council in March last year.
It was hailed as the saviour of the historic estate, having been closed since the summer of 2020 with fears from locals that it would fall into disrepair, with its potential decline compared to the once derelict Buxton Crescent.
