FARM buildings on a £28m estate in the Basingstoke area could be transformed into holiday lets and a café.

The existing buildings at Ewhurst Park have been earmarked for redevelopment under wider regeneration plans for the estate.

Malaysian model Mandy Lieu bought the Ewhurst Park estate, located just outside Ramsdell, in 2020, which was owned by the Dukes of Wellington from 1817 until 1943.

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At the time she said that she plans to turn the estate into an eco-farm, as well as introducing holiday lets, planting a ‘micro-forest’ and establishing a retreat for families affected by motor neurone disease.

Now, an application has been lodged with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to provide new accommodation for holiday rental by transforming agricultural buildings.

Basingstoke Gazette: Artist's impression of what one of the barns could look like at Ewhurst ParkArtist's impression of what one of the barns could look like at Ewhurst Park (Image: Ewhurst Park planning application)

The application states: “The proposal forms part of a wider regeneration plan for the farm estate which encompasses rewilding, the introduction of sustainable farming practices and tourism. The income from this proposal will contribute to the Estate’s revenues which will help to support the farm enterprise. The existing buildings are under-utilised. The proposal, therefore, makes better use of existing resources by re-purposing existing buildings for tourist accommodation with ancillary facilities. In principle therefore there is no objection to the proposal.”

In 2022, the estate was given planning permission to covert farm buildings into holiday lets, and the only difference in the current application is the inclusion of a café facility which is said to be “an ancillary adjunct to the tourist accommodation”.

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Mandy previously told The Times: “I do not think myself a landowner. Instead I consider myself a steward of this land, working to leave it in a better state than I found it, and very soon I hope to open Ewhurst to invite as many people as possible to come on this journey with me.”

The estate at Ewhurst was first recorded in The Domesday Book in 1086, when it was held by Walter of Hugh de Port. Over the years, it passed through a number of owners until the Dukes of Wellington purchased it in 1817.

The house was rebuilt in 1872, and the Dukes later sold the house in 1943, being occupied by the Canadian military during World War Two. Following a period lying empty, the house was reduced in size in the 1950s, and was replaced completely with a new building in 2009.