Guildford Borough Council unanimously approves plans for National Trust to deliver major conservation and re-presentation project at Clandon Park, near Guildford.
The National Trust’s Conservation and Re-presentation of Clandon Park Project was last night (Thursday 6 March) unanimously approved at Guildford Borough Council Planning Committee, giving the go-ahead to a multi-million-pound project to conserve and renew Clandon Park as a welcoming, engaging, and fully functional building.
This paves the way for the Clandon Park Project to receive planning permission and listed building consent for the Trust’s plans to renew Clandon Park following the damage caused by the accidental fire in 2015. The project will restore the exterior of the building to appear as it did before the fire. It will also see the conservation of the interiors, as opened-up and revealed by the fire, which will be made useable and accessible by the introduction of sensitively designed staircases, a basement-to-roof level lift, and generous walkways. The roof will be transformed into a public terrace, providing views over the wider local landscape. Historic collections are being conserved and will be redisplayed in creative ways. The aim is for the remarkable house to be a heritage attraction, cultural venue and events space, with an emphasis on community use.
Speaking on Guildford Borough Council’s Planning Committee decision, Dr Kent Rawlinson, Curatorial and Creative Director, Clandon Park Project, said: “We are thrilled to receive these approvals and endorsements of our plans. It’s such a huge step forward in bringing the house at Clandon back to life as a beautiful, surprising and thought-provoking place that celebrates its many, layered histories – including those of the many people who made and crafted it. In turn, enabling Clandon to serve and entertain new generations of people both locally and nationally.”
The Clandon Park Project’s plans follow several years of considered design development by a multi-disciplinary design team led by Allies and Morrison, an award-winning architectural practice with an expertise in designing in sensitive heritage settings.
The design development ran alongside engagement and consultation with over 75,000 people, including exhibitions and events involving the public, local groups, individuals and a wide range of organisations. Shaped and modified in response to feedback with input from National Trust specialists and heritage professionals, the approved plans are led by the character, history, and significance of the surviving Grade I listed house and its heritage setting.
Oliver Heywood, Director, Allies and Morrison, said: “Clandon’s fire deeply affected a place cherished by many. Our proposals – informed through extensive research and public consultation – will revive Clandon as a dynamic, fully functioning public building, embracing its fire-altered form to tell its remarkable stories.
We are delighted the planning committee has approved the application, ensuring Clandon’s future as a welcoming, purposeful and enduring place for everyone.”
The Conservation and Re-presentation of Clandon Park in detail
The plans will see the Trust build on the conservation work already being carried out to stabilise the existing structure, creating a weathertight building providing sustainable services and public utilities. Quiet architectural interventions will reinstate historic circulation routes, including staircases, generous walkways, and a lift providing visitor routes from the basement to the public roof terrace that are physically accessible to all.
Clandon’s surviving collection of works of art, day-to-day objects and architectural fragments – including the restored decorative plaster ceiling and panelling in the Speakers’ Parlour – will be returned to the house, forming the core of new displays exploring stories of the people who made the house. A range of evolving displays, contemporary art installations, and artistic performances creatively responding to the character of the house and its history will be devised and delivered with cultural partners and local communities.
The intention is for construction to start in Autumn 2025 with a view to reopening in 2029.
