THE owners of a grade two listed house in Goostrey have applied to convert the barns into stables, a menage and residential accommodation – and have the backing of a gold-medal winning Paralympian.

Claire Gilchrist-Dick and her husband Cameron, the owners of Swanwick Hall, a grade two listed property in the village, want to create 14 stables and a menage where the barns are located.

According to the planning statement seven of the stables would be used by Mr and Mrs Gilchrist-Dick and seven would be available for the managed livery service.

The plans state that one of the barns would be turned into residential accommodation and include a home office, leisure facilities and two guest bedrooms.

In 2012, the former owner of the property, John Liptrott, proposed to create an office for six people with a swimming pool that could accommodate classes of up to eight people.

This caused much anger among Goostrey residents, who said it would cause a ‘dangerous’ increase in traffic adjacent to the playground in the narrow Booth Bed Lane.

The planning statement states: “The applicant has recently moved to Swanwick Hall to enable Mrs Gilchrist-Dick to pursue an active involvement in equestrian sport, including show jumping and dressage.

“The applicant competes regularly in dressage events, having a specially-trained horse for that purpose.

“The proposed riding area is an essential requirement to enable this interest to be progressed to the appropriate level with entries to events affiliated to the British Dressage Association.

“In addition to the use of the arena by the applicant the facility will also be made available to Dr Lee Pearson MBE, OBE, CBE, a Paralympian dressage gold medallist and to Gabrielle Kerfoot, a veterinary physiotherapist.”

Dr Pearson added: “If Swanwick Hall equestrian are granted a bigger menage I will be able to set up a regular clinic at the equestrian facility.

“This will enable me to support my competing clients better and would keep business at the yard rather than my clients having to travel further afield.”

In conclusion the planning agents stated: “The current proposals represent a significant change and improvement on the previously approved residential development scheme.

“The use of the traditional buildings for equestrian and ancillary domestic use will have a significantly less intensive impact, reducing vehicle movement and helping to maintain the rural characteristics of the former farm buildings with low key uses commensurate with the setting of the listed building.”

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