Plans to install new facilities at Stoke Park have been given the green light by Buckinghamshire Council.
The 300-acre estate in Stoke Poges was taken over by the company run by Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest person, in 2021, before its golf club and hotel were closed for renovations.
As part of the estate’s phased reopening, planners have approved a new temporary lift in the Grade I listed Mansion House to take people between the Great Hall and first floor.
The existing lift ‘fails’ to meet the requirements of disability legislation, relating to the size of its cabin, accessibility and the height of its controls.
Stoke Park Limited said: “It is not possible for people to access the upper floors of the building should they require any form of assisted access.
“The lift itself is also old and unreliable, being prone to breaking down and sticking between floors.”
The new lift will help accommodate people staying at the Mansion House under ‘periodic exclusive hire arrangements’, when it is used as a hotel, for weddings, charity functions or other events.
Earlier this year, the council approved the conversion of the building’s basement into a kitchen, as well as repair work to the staircase.
The work on the Mansion House is part of Stoke Park Limited’s forthcoming masterplan application, which is to be submitted this year.
Buckinghamshire Council owns the freehold for Stoke Park, while Stoke Park Limited, which was bought by Mr Ambani’s Reliance Industries, holds the long lease.
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