Ormesby Hall: National Trust plans to create new visitor trail for walkers and cyclists at Grade I-listed building

As well as the Georgian mansion itself, the estate surrounding it extends over 240 acres offering all-year-round seasonal walks through gardens, woodland and parkland.

A planning application submitted to Redcar and Cleveland Council seeks consent for a multi-user trail for visitors accommodating walkers, cyclists and people in wheelchairs.

The path would be through a section of the estate located to the north of the A174 Parkway, including Pennyman’s Woods and neighbouring parkland to the north west of the hall.

An application by the National Trust, which owns and manages the site, said: “The current site where the trail is proposed is predominantly on heavily used established unsurfaced and surfaced footpaths, with the new path extending onto grazing fields.”

It said it would be constructed of naturally occurring primary aggregates which would be selected on the basis of their visual fit to the Ormesby Estate and the North York Moors, as well as the extent to which they achieve key engineering requirements such as durability.

An example was given of a ‘geotextile’ fabric over which materials will be lain installed at another National Trust location, Kingston Lacy, in Dorset, a country house and estate.

A heritage significance and impact assessment prepared by an archaeological consultant on behalf of the trust said the scheme required the construction of six crossings across access roads on the estate, but “largely avoids negative impact on the recognised heritage elements of the site and is indeed beneficial to some by raising the standard of their presentation”.

Another document, in the form of a design and access statement, said: “The project will enable access to the site to those who may have found access difficult due to uneven surfaces, gradients or narrow sections and offer opportunities for appreciation of views of Ormesby Hall and estate which were not previously accessible for less able visitors.”

It said the plans had been discussed with key stakeholders in the community, including residents surrounding the site, who had received letters and were invited to in-person consultation sessions.

An example was given of a similar trail to that proposed at Kingston Lacy, in Dorset, a country house and estate also managed by the National Trust.

In December it was revealed that planning permission was being sought to fell more than a hundred trees on the Ormesby Hall estate, which was subsequently granted, due to an increase in ash dieback disease.

The majority of those trees affected were in Pennyman’s Woods, with the National Trust stating they potentially posed a risk to the public should they be sufficiently weakened and collapse.