Latest news with #JamesPerkins
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Housing plan to raise money for fire-hit Parnham House
A development of 85 new homes is needed to pay for the restoration of a fire-damaged stately home, its owner has I listed Parnham House, near Beaminster, Dorset, was gutted in a suspected arson attack in rave promoter James Perkins bought the property in 2020 and has been negotiating with Historic England over development of the latest scheme will be revealed at a public meeting on Tuesday, ahead of a planning application, according to a Facebook post. The message, on the Beaminster Information Centre page, said: "The current plan for an enabling development of 85 homes is about to be submitted to Dorset Council."The income from this is entirely used in the restoration of the building."An enabling development is one that would not normally be allowed, except for the fact that it would secure the future conservation of a heritage asset, according to Historic a statement, the group said: "We've had early discussions with the owner on potential development in the surrounds of the house but have not seen the latest plans. "We understand that some form of development will be needed to help pay for the house's restoration, and our aim is to ensure that any development preserves the beautiful setting of the Grade I listed building as far as possible." The fire broke out at Parnham in the early hours of 15 April 2017 and took four days to fully owner Michael Treichl was arrested on suspicion of arson and was found dead two months Perkins, 56, who co-founded the Fantazia events brand, has already won permission for parties and weddings, a restaurant and holiday chalets on the 131-acre May, an auction of his collected fossils and artworks raised £2.2m, according to Dreweatts housing plans will be shown at Beaminster Public Hall on 29 July from 14:00 - 19:00 BST. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Our village is under threat from ‘Rave King's' plan to save his £2.5m mansion – we don't want celebs partying next door
The music promoter wants to build homes to restore his Dorset mansion PARTY PAD Our village is under threat from 'Rave King's' plan to save his £2.5m mansion – we don't want celebs partying next door Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MUSIC promoter is planning to build 85 homes to save his £2.5m mansion leaving local residents furious. Music promoter, James Perkins, is renovating his 16th-century home dubbed the "Buckingham Palace of Dorset" after it was destroyed by a fire eight years ago. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Music promoter, James Perkins, is planning to build homes to restore his £2.5 million Dorset mansion Credit: BNPS 2 Perkins has dubbed the stately home the 'Buckingham Palace of Dorset' Credit: Rex Perkins bought the Grade-1 listed Parnham House for £2.5 million in 2020. Scaffolding bills have soared to £1.7 million, the snooker room roof is falling in and the walls are crumbling. To fund the renovations, Perkins intends to construct 85 homes on 25 acres of the estate's fields subject to planning approval from Dorset Council. If successful, the mansion could host weddings, parties and overnight guests in sixty bedrooms. But residents, who were already furious with the council granting the venue a 24-hour alcohol license, have formed a group against the application. They told The Times that it would "destroy" local wildlife and the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and remove centuries-old footpaths. Locals also say that the site plan drawn up four years ago, which originally proposed 20 homes, has ballooned into proposals for dozens of dwellings across the green space. One resident also added that Perkins stood to benefit from a large capital increase on his private property while the council and villagers lost out. The previous alcohol license application faced so much backlash that the council meeting was forced to run for two days with the local Conservative MP saying it was not appropriate for the estate. But Perkins hopes he will be granted permission to build under "enabled development" laws. Our pretty town has become a ghetto plagued by machete-wielding yobs This means permission will be granted if the project generates funds that outweigh the harm caused by the development. He is confident that he has brought Historic England onside with the plans which initially stated it would not support the application but they are now due to advise the council committee. The application alone has cost approximately £1.5 million to submit. Celebrities such as Noel Gallagher, Kate Moss, Madonna and Bono have all attended lavish gatherings at Perkins' former property, Aynhoe Park. The wild parties at the stately home on the Northamptonshire-Oxfordshire border cemented Perkins reputation as the "rave king". Perkins was just 15 when he began staging home parties in his home town of Cheltenham. He went on to establish the rave music promoter Fantazia and in 1992, aged 22, he attracted nearly 30,000 people to a rave in Castle Donington. Parts of Parnham House date back to the mid-1500s when it was owned by the Strode family who lived at the property for more than 200 years. Over the centuries it has been used as a private home, nursing home, country club and woodwork school. During the Second World War, it was used by the US army as the headquarters for General Patton before the D-Day landings. A spokesman for Parnham House said: 'Through intensive planning and design work involving many consultants, including extensive talks with Dorset council, Historic England, and their subsidiaries, it was acknowledged that Enabling Development is the only solution to save this nationally important Grade 1-listed treasure. 'The enabling development application will raise the equity needed to save and restore the building to the minimum required factor and once again make Parnham something our neighbours and Dorset can be proud of.' The spokesman added that the plans would "increase the biodiversity of the estate" as well as restore nature highways along the River Brit and reopen the original drive and entrance. Both Perkins and Dorset Council have been approached for comment.
The Sun
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Our village is under threat from ‘Rave King's' plan to save his £2.5m mansion – we don't want celebs partying next door
A MUSIC promoter is planning to build 85 homes to save his £2.5m mansion leaving local residents furious. Music promoter, James Perkins, is renovating his 16th-century home dubbed the "Buckingham Palace of Dorset" after it was destroyed by a fire eight years ago. 2 2 Perkins bought the Grade-1 listed Parnham House for £2.5 million in 2020. Scaffolding bills have soared to £1.7 million, the snooker room roof is falling in and the walls are crumbling. To fund the renovations, Perkins intends to construct 85 homes on 25 acres of the estate's fields subject to planning approval from Dorset Council. If successful, the mansion could host weddings, parties and overnight guests in sixty bedrooms. But residents, who were already furious with the council granting the venue a 24-hour alcohol license, have formed a group against the application. They told The Times that it would "destroy" local wildlife and the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and remove centuries-old footpaths. Locals also say that the site plan drawn up four years ago, which originally proposed 20 homes, has ballooned into proposals for dozens of dwellings across the green space. One resident also added that Perkins stood to benefit from a large capital increase on his private property while the council and villagers lost out. The previous alcohol license application faced so much backlash that the council meeting was forced to run for two days with the local Conservative MP saying it was not appropriate for the estate. But Perkins hopes he will be granted permission to build under "enabled development" laws. Our pretty town has become a ghetto plagued by machete-wielding yobs This means permission will be granted if the project generates funds that outweigh the harm caused by the development. He is confident that he has brought Historic England onside with the plans which initially stated it would not support the application but they are now due to advise the council committee. The application alone has cost approximately £1.5 million to submit. Celebrities such as Noel Gallagher, Kate Moss, Madonna and Bono have all attended lavish gatherings at Perkins' former property, Aynhoe Park. The wild parties at the stately home on the Northamptonshire-Oxfordshire border cemented Perkins reputation as the "rave king". Perkins was just 15 when he began staging home parties in his home town of Cheltenham. He went on to establish the rave music promoter Fantazia and in 1992, aged 22, he attracted nearly 30,000 people to a rave in Castle Donington. Parts of Parnham House date back to the mid-1500s when it was owned by the Strode family who lived at the property for more than 200 years. Over the centuries it has been used as a private home, nursing home, country club and woodwork school. During the Second World War, it was used by the US army as the headquarters for General Patton before the D-Day landings. A spokesman for Parnham House said: 'Through intensive planning and design work involving many consultants, including extensive talks with Dorset council, Historic England, and their subsidiaries, it was acknowledged that Enabling Development is the only solution to save this nationally important Grade 1-listed treasure. 'The enabling development application will raise the equity needed to save and restore the building to the minimum required factor and once again make Parnham something our neighbours and Dorset can be proud of.' The spokesman added that the plans would "increase the biodiversity of the estate" as well as restore nature highways along the River Brit and reopen the original drive and entrance. Both Perkins and Dorset Council have been approached for comment. What are your planning permission rights? Planning disputes are often troublesome, here are your rights in the matter. The first and cheapest route is to talk to your neighbour and try to come up with a solution. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors offers a boundary mediation service, and neighbours can access 30 minutes of free advice from a chartered surveyor. Your local council may also offer a mediation service. Under permitted development rights, it's possible to extend your house by up to four metres at the rear without having to apply for planning permission, or consult your neighbours. So if your neighbours want to do that, they can. Similarly, they can put up a fence up, as long as it's on their land, although it would probably be subject to a height restriction, depending on where you live and what your local council's rules are. If you suspect that it doesn't match these criteria you should object to the local planning authority immediately. Legal action A homeowner is supposed to get a legal document called a party wall agreement signed if they are carrying out works near or on a property boundary. This sets out the work being carried out and the times it can be done. According to building works must avoid causing unnecessary inconvenience and protect a neighbour's property from damage. A homeowner must also fix or pay for damage that they cause. Notice of between two months and one year usually needs to be given depending on the circumstances. You can find out more about getting a party wall agreement on the website.
Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Times
Backlash over ‘Rave King's' plan to save fire-ravaged stately home
When it came to restoring Parnham House, the music entrepreneur James Perkins once declared he 'never bothered about budgets'. The 16th-century stately home, which the promoter describes as the 'Buckingham Palace of Dorset', is being brought back to life after a fire largely destroyed it eight years ago. But with scaffolding bills of £1.7 million, the snooker room roof falling in and the walls close to crumbling away, the occasional wedding in the manor's restored suites is not paying the builder's fees. Instead, Perkins intends to fund the renovations with the construction of 85 homes on 25 acres of the estate's fields, if Dorset council approves his planning application. If he is successful, Grade 1-listed Parnham House — which Perkins bought for £2.5 million in 2020 — could host weddings, parties and overnight guests in sixty bedrooms. The likes of Noel Gallagher, Kate Moss, Madonna and Bono have attended lavish gatherings at Perkins's former property, Aynhoe Park, a Jacobean stately home on the Northamptonshire-Oxfordshire border. The parties at Aynhoe helped cement his nickname of 'rave king'. But residents of nearby Beaminster, who were already up in arms when the council granted the venue a 24-hour alcohol licence, have formed a group to frustrate the application. One said the houses would drive 'coach and horses' through local wildlife, 'destroy the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' and remove centuries-old footpaths. The successful alcohol application faced so many objections that the council meeting ran for two days. The local Conservative MP said it was not appropriate for the estate. Residents say a site plan drawn up four years ago outlining twenty houses has ballooned into proposals for dozens of dwellings across the green space. At risk is a meadow area where kingfishers dart and otters roam. One resident said that were the application granted, Perkins stood to benefit from a large capital increase on his private property while the council and villagers lost out. Perkins, 56, hopes that the council will grant him permission to build under 'enabled development' laws, where permission is granted if the project generates funds that outweigh the harm caused by the development. He is confident that he has won over Historic England, which initially stated it could not support the application but is now due to advise the council committee. The application alone has cost about £1.5 million to submit. The development could mean a new chapter for a house. In 2017, two months after the fire, its owner Michael Treichl, an Austrian hedge fund tycoon, took his own life 'having suffered severe depression'. Treichl's wife said he had admitted starting the fire, but he publicly denied the allegation and insisted that he was at Claridges in London when the blaze broke out. Perkins was 15 when he began staging parties in his home town of Cheltenham and went on to establish the rave music promoter Fantazia. In 1992, aged 22, he attracted 28,000 people to a rave in Castle Donington. Parnham House has been a private home, nursing home, country club and woodwork school. Parts of it date back to the mid-1500s, when it was owned by the Strode family, who lived in the property for more than 200 years. During the Second World War, it was requisitioned by the US Army to be the headquarters for General Patton before the D-Day landings. A spokesman for Parnham House said: 'Through intensive planning and design work involving many consultants, including extensive talks with Dorset council, Historic England, and their subsidiaries, it was acknowledged that Enabling Development is the only solution to save this nationally important Grade 1-listed treasure. 'The enabling development application will raise the equity needed to save and restore the building to the minimum required factor and once again make Parnham something our neighbours and Dorset can be proud of.' The spokesman said that this would 'increase the biodiversity of the estate, restore forgotten nature highways along the River Brit, and reopen the original drive and entrance'. 'The development will provide much needed housing, employment, tourism and huge economic benefit to our immediate area and Dorset as a whole.' Perkins was approached for comment.
Telegraph
07-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
‘I'm selling £300k mammoth fossil to restore my stately home'
A music entrepreneur is selling a 10ft-tall woolly mammoth fossil to help fund the restoration of his fire-damaged stately home. James Perkins, a former rave promoter, bought the burnt-out shell of Parnham House in Dorset for £2.5 million in 2020 and estimates that the restoration will cost 10 times that amount. Now, he is auctioning his eclectic collection of rare fossils, taxidermy animals, unusual artworks and furniture. The 448 lots, which are being sold with the Newbury-based auctioneers Dreweatts, are expected to fetch £1.66 million. They include entire prehistoric skeletons, including a woolly mammoth fossil found in Poland that is at least 11,700 years old and is in exceptional condition. It is valued at £300,000. Mr Perkins said: 'This sale ... marks an important milestone in Parnham's evolution ahead of some major structural repair, as the proceeds will help us restore the estate to its former glory and establish a unique destination for lovers of art, design and grand entertainment.' Parnham House is a Grade I-listed historic property dating back to the 1400s and one of Dorset's oldest stately homes. The property was ravaged by fire in 2017 and its owner, the Austrian banker Michael Treichl, was found dead in Lake Geneva two months later. At the time of his death, Treichl was on bail following his arrest for starting the fire and he is thought to have taken his own life. Mr Perkins, 57, who previously bought the 17th-century Aynhoe Park in Northamptonshire and turned it into a party and events venue, hopes to create something similar with Parnham Park. Among the collection being sold by Mr Perkins is a complete 180-million-year-old ichthyosaur skeleton, which is about 9ft long and expected to fetch £180,000. Another ichthyosaur fossil embedded in rock has an estimate of £80,000 and a fossil of a Cretaceous predatory fish that swam the seas 90 million years ago is expected to sell for £150,000. Among the art works of four prints by Damien Hirst with an estimate of £18,000 and tables created by Jacques Duval-Brasseur, including an £18,000 low table made from a petrified tree and gilt bronze. There is also art created by Mr Perkins, including an oil-on-canvas painting of a full moon valued at £8,000, and The Model, a skeleton of a giraffe in heels that has an estimate of £15,000. An ostrich-feather four-posted bed has an estimate of £12,000, while a large royal coat of arms is expected to fetch £10,000. The sale takes place on May 13.
