The work on converting Llanerchydol Hall near Welshpool, mid-Wales, featured on ‘Help! We Bought a Hotel’
TV reality show stars alleged to have carried out illegal work on a protected mansion are facing the threat of massive fines.They took part in Channel 4 property makeover series – ‘Help! We Bought a Hotel’ – which reports on huge projects to convert run-down buildings into something new. However, council officials put a stop to £2m worth of work on Grade II listed 18th century Llanerchydol Hall near Welshpool, mid-Wales.Four people and a company in the name of the protected 13-bedroom hall have since been charged with a series of offences over controversial works taking place there.Benjamin Sutterby, George Dodge, Richard Stokes and Ranjeet Kaur Saini, as well as Llanerchydol Hall Limited, each face three charges for allegedly breaking building regulations at the gothic mansion. For the biggest stories in Wales first, sign up to our daily newsletter here
People watching the Channel 4 show heard the narrator say: “By the 1980s the building had fallen into serious disrepair and had laid empty for 15 years.“It could have been lost forever, if it weren’t for friends and former neighbours with a passion for grand homes and the vision to see what Llanerchydol Hall could be.“The trio were looking for a joint venture and decided to pool their savings to buy the hall for £1.3 million.“Whilst the project would be too big for an individual to tackle, the trio believe their joint skill set will be the secret of their success, despite the enormous challenge they are about to face.”Llandrindod Wells magistrates heard the case against the four and the company and ruled it needed to be decided on by a district judge.
Ben Sutterby and Raj Saini were refused retrospective planning permission by the council for some of the works in June, 2023.Work at the site continued, however, and a temporary stop notice was issued by Powys County Council.
Each defendant is accused of contravening a provision contained in building regulations, namely failing to submit an application for building control approval with full plans to Powys County Council.They are also charged with failing to give notice of their intention to start work to the local authority; as well as failing to submit a building regulation application to the council to regularise unauthorised building works that have been undertaken to date.The hearing was adjourned by magistrates and committed to Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court on December 3.
In the programme, viewers see efforts to fund additional renovation to derelict rooms in the hall’s east wing, with new accommodation in the completed rooms in the west wing.There are also efforts to convert the stables into accommodation space.Estate agents Savills said at the time the hall was put up for sale: “Llanerchydol was the seat of David Pugh Esquire, a wealthy tea trader who built the present house in 1776 on the site of an original house which is thought to have been destroyed by a fire.“It remained in the Pugh family for 136 years during which time it underwent considerable alterations and adaptations.“Towards the end of the Pugh family ownership, areas of the estate which had amounted to some 2,000 acres had to be sold off to maintain the house and their lifestyle.“The family made the decision to sell the house in 1912. It was bought by a wealthy cotton trader from Liverpool who was succeeded by his three unmarried daughters.”
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