Exclusive - Work to start on luxury Bretton Hall hotel at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Planning permission to convert the Grade II-listed building, in the grounds of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, into a hotel and spa with restaurants, conference room and wedding facilities was granted last August.

The council has now agreed a contract with developer Rushbond Group and work is expected to start next spring.

Council leader Peter Box said: “I am delighted that we have reached this critical milestone in getting the development of Bretton Hall underway. The developer now has the full go-ahead to deliver, what I am sure will be, another jewel in the district’s crown.

“It will complement the highly successful Yorkshire Sculpture Park, which along with The Hepworth Wakefield and the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, is part of the internationally-known Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle.”

Wakefield Council bought Bretton Hall from the University of Leeds after it was closed as a campus in 2007.

Mark Finch, real estate director of Rushbond, said: “Bretton Hall has a rich history and is a wonderful heritage building which has all the hallmarks to make it a stunning place to stay. We have a deep track record of restoring such assets and bringing them into sustainable long-term use.

“Wakefield has some truly world-class visitor attractions not least in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Hepworth Wakefield.

“The opportunity to provide visitors with an opportunity to stay at Bretton Hall will contribute significantly to the visitor offer that the district provides as well as the unequalled conference and exhibition facility which we will be launching shortly.

“We will be progressing our enablement works this autumn to put us in a position to commence the project, targeting spring next year.”