In April 2026, work will finally start on the renovation and conversion of Allestree Hall into a 160 person wedding venue. Following the leasehold sale in December 2024, planning permission was finally granted by Derby City Council on 22 January 2026 – taking nearly 12 months!

Staton Young bought the lease in December 2024, and carried out essential winterisation work to stop water ingress, and to avoid further deterioration, whilst the planning application process was continuing.

Derby News visited the site on 27 February 2026 and was able to see the state in which th it had been left by Derby City Council.

Allestree Hall was built in the early 19th Century . The house was used as a residence from the early 1800s up until the late 1920s, with notable stewards among others including William Evans, Sir Thomas Williams Evans and Colonel Herbert Johnson.

In 1928, the property was sold to Commercial Constructions who broke the estate up, before disposing of it in 1936. Following the onset of the war the property was utilised by the National Fire Service. In 1946, Derby City Council acquired the hall and subsequently converted some of the grounds into an 18-hole golf course. In 2020, following the closure of the golf course, planning permission was granted to convert the Hall into a wedding venue; that deal fell though leaving the Hall to languish for another 4 years.

The Hall was placed on Historic England’s “At Risk” register.

In 2024, the leasehold of the property was put on the market by Derby City Council for a minimum of £1.25m. This was bought in December 2024 by Staton Young for an undisclosed sum. It signed a 250 year lease which will be converted to 999 year lease on completion of the building project.

The venue will have capacity for 160 guests and there will be an on-site 85 room hotel.

Staton Young has funded the purchase internally, including the extensive renovation works which will be carried out predominantly by Staton Young staff.

It is expected that it will be around 18 months before the first weddings will take place. Below is an exclusive insight into the proposed layout and design.

Comment

Walking around Allestree Hall and seeing the state of decay and dilapadation was a saddening experience. It had been left to rot for many years!

As a listed building, owned by Derby City Council, it should have been better maintained . Ornate wall coverings had been sawn apart, decorative art work discarded, floor boards taken up, plasterwork cracking and falling away, water had been dripping in through the roof prior to the recent winterisation work.

It will take a huge amount of work and money to make it into a usable space, fit for a top-class wedding. It will require sensitive renovation and agile and flexible support from Derby City Council’s Planning department; therein lies Staton Young’s main risk. The planning application took a year to process by the Council despite the plans being substantially the same as the previously approved application; this does not bode well.

It is a great opportunity for this once great Hall to be brought back to life with a sustainable future.