CONCERNED residents have hit out at plans to hold large events and weddings at a South Lakeland manor house.

Cark-in-Cartmel resident Andy Rollins said a licence application for Cark Manor would ‘change the whole ethos’ of the village were it to be approved.

“It’s a quiet village,” he said.

“And if you have got a potential wedding venue, it’s not going to be that at all.”

Cartmel councillor Michael Cornah said he had been contacted by residents who were concerned the hosting of large events at the site would ‘alter the character of the village’.

The manor house was subject to a successful change-of-use application from a residential dwelling to a mixed-use residential dwelling and holiday let earlier this year.

An application for a premises licence, submitted at a later date, referred to Cark Manor being an ‘exclusive events’ venue that would be used for ‘birthdays, weddings, conferences and all other types of events’. These details did not, apparently, form part of the initial change-of-use application, which was approved in February.

David Haythornthwaite, one of the owners of Cark Manor Limited, has since revealed that the application for a premises licence at the manor house is being withdrawn.

Mr Haythornthwaite, chairman of both Lancashire company The Tangerine Group and football club AFC Fylde, said: “I am very concerned about social media speculation and will be withdrawing the current application and resubmitting it shortly and, if any neighbour has any concerns, I am more than happy to meet them at a prearranged time in the future.”

He declined to say what, if any, changes to the application would be made when it was resubmitted in future.

A spokesman for South Lakeland District Council, to which applications have been made, said: “Cark Manor doesn’t have planning permission to be used as a wedding venue.

“It would require a planning application for a change of use to be allowed to be used as a wedding venue.”