‘Britain’s poshest village’ in revolt over plan to turn historic mansion into party venue

A historic country mansion, once a popular haunt of the Duke of Wellington, is at the centre of a village row amid plans to transform it into a late-night venue.

Locals in Ombersley, Worcs, fear their idyllic surroundings could be under threat if an application to serve alcohol and play music at Ombersley Court is given the green light.

The Grade-I listed residence lies in the heart of the village, where house prices average £682,000.

Research by Savills in January, exclusive to The Telegraph, revealed Ombersley to be one of Britain's poshest villages, based on the combination of highest house prices, best lifestyle amenities, connectivity and chocolate-box appeal.

The mansion is owned by Tim Hopkins, the head of Gemini Hospitality Group, who purchased the property for a reported £3.5 million in 2017.

He is understood to have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds restoring state rooms, including one favoured by the Duke, who regularly visited the home following the Battle of Waterloo.

Mr Hopkins has now submitted a licensing application to enable the property to host late-night events. But his request to serve alcohol until midnight and play music until 1am has caused uproar among neighbours.

Michael and Angela Podmore, who live half-a-mile from the house, said they could hear noise from a charity ball held in the grounds of the mansion last summer.

“The noise could be heard from our home more than 600 metres away. It would have had a worse effect on the hundreds of homes closer to Ombersley Court,” they wrote in an objection letter to Wychavon District Council.

Another couple, David and Susan Collier, said the noise from the same event could be heard a mile away in the next village, but that residents “chose not to complain” as it was a one-off event in aid of charity.

‘Completely out of character’

Mr Podmore, a 64-year-old landscape architect, said: “I’m not against business people setting up businesses.

“The Court was falling down before it was taken over, it needed taking over. It needed somebody to do something with it.”

However, he takes issue with the venue staying open until after 11pm, saying it does not suit the tranquil nature of the surrounding area.

“The village is in itself a dark skies village, it has no street lamps. It’s a quiet village, something like this is completely out of character,” Mr Podmore said.

“Music going on until the early hours of the morning is not ideal,” he added.

He said residents were concerned it would be developed into a wedding venue with “live bands and discos” for several weekends of the year, adding to fears it will impact on house prices.

Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “It could affect all of our house prices.”

“There was talk of it being turned into a festival site by some people. We don’t want festivals here,” they added.

Ombersley Court was home to the Sandys family for almost three centuries, and was originally built for the 1st Baron Sandys between 1723-26.

Wychavon District Council is set to reach a decision over the application on Wednesday.