A PUBLIC consultation on plans to convert an Ulverston landmark building into 20 apartments has opened.

Members of the public are urged to voice their opinion on the proposals lodged with South Lakeland District Council by property development firm Charles Church, owned by national company Persimmon Homes.

The planned development also includes a proposal to build 52 houses on the site.

The grade-II listed building was built in 1874 by local architect James W Grundy, and became the home of Myles and Margaret Kennedy and their six sons and nine daughters.

James W Grundy was a well-known architect in Ulverston and built a number of important civic buildings, including the original Market Hall and the police station as well as other commercial buildings.

The Kennedy family’s wealth came from the iron ore mines in Askam.

Over the years the building has had a variety of owners and was acquired by locally based lighting technology company Marl International Ltd between 1986 and 2002.

The current proposals are now available to view on the SLDC website and it is where members of the public can leave their own views on the project.

The consultation will be open until February 13. A heritage statement by Charles Church says: “In summary, the proposal is to regenerate the use of Stone Cross Mansion by re-establishing a residential use within the building and develop new dwellings in the grounds.

“The development will convert the mansion into apartments with access to private space and grounds.

“The objective has been to retain the fundamental character of the country house setting and minimise the extent of alterations to the surviving fabric.

“The scheme also includes the demolition of unsightly modern additions to the 19th century building, along with the sensitive re-use of character-defining spaces.”

To leave a comment, go to applications.southlakeland.gov.uk/planningapplications, search for Stone Cross Mansion or application number SL/2013/0818 and then click Comment.