Ashton Court mansion restoration Council to hand building over to trust

AMBITIOUS plans to rescue and revitalise Ashton Court Mansion have taken a huge step forward after Bristol city councillors unanimously agreed to hand over the historic, crumbling venue to a trust.

- Adam POSTANS

The continued deterioration of the Grade [listed building, which the local authority has owned since 1959, would be a “tragedy” and “absolute vandalism’, the strategy and resources committee was told.

Members voted to enter into an agreement with Bristol Historic Buildings Trust (BHBT) which will carry out urgent repairs and draw up detailed plans to create a bright future for the property after it warned the mansion faced a “catastrophic decline” if nothing was done soon.

Its proposals, which include repairing the leaky roof, installing a new heating, hot water and power system, sorting drainage problems, and sprucing up the ground floor rooms which are used for events, would give it a 125-year lease with the council retaining the freehold.

No rent would be charged for the first decade and then 10 per cent of profits would be shared with the authority.