INNOVATIVE plans to transform a derelict part of Highcliffe Castle have reached a crucial planning stage.
Proposals for the £2.9million scheme at the historic castle have been submitted to Christchurch Borough Council.
A bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund last year was successful, and bosses want to use the money for the next stage of the castle's restoration project.
Entitled 'The Phoenix Files', the major project for the Penleaze Wing plans to restore and display their medieval stained glass collection, and conserve and adapt the east wing into a heritage centre.
There will also be work to landscape the gardens and increase the size of the car park.
A consultation was held last year with residents, with more than 700 people taking part in the survey, which proved overwhelmingly positive in terms of support for the venture.
The heritage centre at the Grade I listed building will include exhibition spaces, a glass conservation studio, a bigger shop and education area while landscaping in the Castle gardens and Rothesay Park, will include work to the coastal path, woodland, fencing, and play areas.
Highcliffe Castle, owned by Christchurch Borough Council, was rendered derelict in the 1960s by fire and abandonment, but partially restored in the 1990s.
A planning statement, included in the application, said the east wing is unsafe for public access, with floors missing and plasterwork falling from the ceiling.
"Visitors have commented on their disappointment at the limited amount of the Castle interior which is open to visit, and that there is a feeling of absence in the Castle, due to the lack of contents, furnishings and interpretation", it adds.
Specialist conditions are needed to preserve the historic stained glass to display to the public, something the renovation would allow for.
The statement also says: "Rothesay Park offers a major opportunity in terms of restoring some of the Castle’s ‘lost’ landscape setting."
A play area, providing informal balancing and climbing opportunities, will also be built, pending approval, using reclaimed timber and tree swings.
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