THE PARNHAM estate has been granted planning permission for a boat house for use as a holiday let.

The Dorset Council decision is the latest approval for holiday homes in the grounds of the historic 16th century listed property.

James Perkins bought the property in February 2020, three years after the fire which destroyed the south and north wings of the main house. He has pledged to restore the main building but needs to generate income from suitable holiday uses to be able to achieve the aim.

Approvals for the estate in the last five years have included a substantial new home to mirror The Dower House, with swimming pool; four ‘River Lodges’ and six ‘Orchard Rooms’ all to be used for holiday accommodation.

The Boat House will be used to store boats for use of the lake along with a bedroom and a living area, above.

There had been some concerns raised about the size of the building by the Gardens Trust and Historic England, although accepting that design changes have mitigated the impact of the new building.  Both Beaminster Town Council and Netherbury parish council raised no objection to the plans.

The boathouse site is at the southern end of the formal gardens on the eastern bank of the lake which was originally created by Dr. Hans Sauer, during his ownership of Parnham (1911-1914). It silted up shortly after being constructed and was restored in 2004 by Mr & Mrs Treichl.

Dorset Council decided that the Boat House would create little harm to the setting of the gardens and house and decided that any ‘harm’ would be outweighed by the public benefits, the proposal also being acceptable in flood risk terms.