Fears mount 19th century manor could be lost forever following ‘catastrophic fire’

In 1888, it became the home of the industrialist and politician William Lever, famed for his soap factory and model village at Port Sunlight.

Since it has become a local landmark and a thriving venue for weddings and other functions. The building was also used as the location for a Brexit summit between then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and then-Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in 2019.

However, disaster struck when an electrical fault in the roof sparked a blaze that would claim much of the property.

The fierce fires brought down ceilings, sending debris and furniture crashing into rooms below, destroying a dining room, reception area and numerous chambers overlooking the grounds.

Restoration costs could reach £20million or more, according to estate director Philip Cowan, who described the period as "very difficult" but said it had made him "more determined to get the thing restored".

The venue has seen business plummet by approximately 80 per cent following the fire and removal of the marquees.

Mr Cowan said: "At the moment we need to get business in so we can break even."

As such, a planning submission has been lodged with the council seeking permission to restore three event marquees on the estate, with the largest capable of accommodating 1,000 guests.

The estate's management contends these structures are vital for generating revenue to secure the building's long-term future.

Legal letters have now been dispatched to Wirral Council by the proprietors to propel the process forward.

Lawyers representing Thornton Manor Country Estate warn refusing planning consent would place the manor at "serious and imminent risk of further deterioration or even ultimate loss".

The estate's legal representatives at Gunner Cooke LLP have dispatched two letters to the council identifying "a number of procedural and substantive issues" requiring "urgent attention and correction".

Their concerns encompass delays in processing, insufficient transparency, a "late emergence of refusal threat", and the council's apparent "resistance" to meeting with them.

Lawyers have demanded councillors make the final decision on the application, warning "the procedural history of this application, if it were to become public through appeal or judicial review proceedings, could cause significant reputational damage to the council".

The estate's planning consultants at P4 Planning argue the circumstances have fundamentally shifted since the 2022 blaze.

Senior planner Sophie Stanton stated: "We are no longer discussing a business consolidation and expansion to facilitate a long-term full restoration of the estate; we are discussing an emergency rescue mission for a Grade II asset in active decay, with no available or realistic options for achieving the same ends."

The consultants suggest rejecting the application would simply transfer the £20million restoration burden to a future scenario where the council might be legally obligated to intervene at a site with no viable income stream remaining.

A Wirral Council spokesman said the matter would be handled through appropriate procedures.

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