Mansion House’s new owners have submitted plans to make internal alterations and replace windows, along with felling trees and expanding the car parking space, to bring the historic Penrith building back into use as offices, while the council continues to refuse to reveal how much it received for the property.
The Grade II* listed building on Friargate, formerly used as council offices, will, if plans are approved, be refurbished to accommodate businesses, including the headquarters of new owners Atkinson Homes Ltd, who acquired Mansion House in June. Since then, the company has been exploring options for its future.
The plans come amid continuing questions over Westmorland and Furness Council’s sale of the public asset. Penrith.Town understands the sale price was significantly below the building’s £1.5 million valuation, although the council has not disclosed the amount paid and has declined to comment on questions around the sale of the building.
Documents accompanying the refurbishment application describe Mansion House as vacant and outline changes intended to make its rooms more suitable for office use, potentially by several businesses.
Five internal partitions in the building would be removed to create larger working spaces, alongside a kitchen and staff room, an additional first-floor toilet and improvements to existing facilities. The scheme would retain the building’s existing office use, with no extension proposed.
Outside, the owners want to redecorate the building, replace windows with matching timber frames incorporating slim double glazing, renew external lighting and install electric vehicle charging points away from the principal frontage.
The refurbishment documents propose replacing the worn and cracked forecourt surface on a like-for-like basis. The tree-felling and parking expansion proposals are additional to the works described in those statements.
Built in 1750, Mansion House is one of Penrith’s most distinctive historic buildings. Its Georgian frontage, flanking wings and staircase with delicate iron balusters are among its significant features.
A plaque on the building records its refurbishment between 1984 and 1991 and its opening by Queen Elizabeth II on 3 May 1991.
The heritage statement, prepared for the applicants by Atkinson Building Contractors, argues that bringing the property back into regular use would help secure its upkeep and reduce the risk of deterioration while it stands empty.
It acknowledges some harm from removing internal partitions but describes this as limited, arguing that the benefits of returning the building to use outweigh that impact. The principal staircase, decorative leaded windows and historic fireplaces would be retained.
Despite refusing to disclose how much it received for the public asset, Westmorland and Furness Council has said the proceeds will contribute towards the cost of refurbishing Voreda House.
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