The proposal for a 1.5-acre garden, which will include water and stone features as focal points, east of the 18th-century house comes as it re-opens its doors on Saturday (July 1) after a two-year £2.3 million revamp of its richly carved and finished ground floor rooms funded by the will of a wealthy benefactor.

Alexa Buffey, collections and house manager at Beningbrough, which attracts 130,000 visitors annually, said: “We’re incredibly excited to welcome visitors back into the hall.

“The recent work has been crucial in preserving the building for future generations and National Trust supporters to enjoy.”

Planning papers lodged with North Yorkshire Council state the trust believes there is an opportunity “to grow our visitor numbers significantly” and alongside works on the second floor of the hall from September, it was “now time to turn our focus back to delivering the vision for the gardens”.

Blueprints for the Mediterranean garden have been lodged eight years after the trust, which has managed the property since 1958, appointed one of the world’s leading landscape and garden designers, Andy Sturgeon, to create a ten-year vision for the extensive gardens at the hall.

The papers state: “The project breathes new life into a currently underused part of the site and provides opportunities for interpretation, improved accessibility and enhanced biodiversity.”

The hall’s links to the Mediterranean date back to its original owner, John Bourchier, who inherited what was a prosperous estate in 1700 aged just 16, before embarking on a Grand Tour of Europe.

The planning papers state the combination of English and Continental design ideas used by French Huguenot migrants who helped construct the hall “reflect much about North Yorkshire gentry taste and social connections of the time”.

Planning officers have advised the trust to be mindful of the proposal’s impact on the significance of the hall’s many listed features, such as the laundry and brew house, and the setting of buildings such as its substantial stable block.

Nevertheless, supporting the scheme, Historic England has written to the planning authority to herald biodiversity gains from the project and underline it considers the proposal “will be an inspirational new addition” to the hall’s gardens.

A Historic England spokesman said: “The honesty of the design and materials will ensure that the new garden is interpreted as contemporary addition.

“We consider that the Mediterranean theme will add a new layer of enjoyment for visitors. Practical public benefits will also be achieved by the improvements to quality of the footpaths and access routes.”

The gardens will remain open to the public during the construction works, with limited areas excluded whilst the garden construction is ongoing. This is expected to be a four-month process over the autumn and winter when there are fewer visitors to the gardens.

Beningbrough Hall: National Trust outlines plans to restore Mediterranean gardens at Yorkshire country house