PLANS have been lodged to turn the former Red House museum into holiday accommodation, in an effort to appeal to "heritage-motivated visitors" keen to stay in a house regularly visited by Charlotte Bronte.

Kirklees Council first revealed its latest proposal for the Grade II* building earlier this year, outlining an investment of £600,000 into the Gomersal site to bring the historic house and neighbouring cart shed back into use.

Dating back to 1660, the house and grounds are seen as an important heritage asset because of their association with the Taylor family, particularly Mary Taylor, who was a writer and friend of Charlotte Bronte.

Charlotte herself was a regular guest at the house, and gave it a starring role as Briarmains in her novel, Shirley.

Prior to its closure in 2016, Red House operated as a community museum, but visitor numbers and increasing costs made the site unviable.

The Council's intention to sell the property, prompted a petition from Red House Heritage Group in 2019, which resulted in the authority’s cabinet agreeing to explore alternative uses for the site which could keep it in public hands.

In a design and access statement accompanying the plans, it states that the main house would be available as a short-term holiday let accommodating ten guests across five bedrooms.

It states: "Because of its romantic associations with the Brontes, and the property’s appeal to heritage-motivated visitors, we anticipate there may be demand from guests staying in Red House to combine their stay with a wedding ceremony within the house. "We will therefore apply to license the main reception hall for small wedding ceremonies, so that guests staying in the house may get married as a part of their stay."

The cart shed would be split into four self-catering apartments, which can be booked individually and independently from the Red House.

The report adds: "The properties will be presented in a manner which is expected to appeal to discerning visitors motivated by their Bronte heritage. Nevertheless, there will be explicit booking restrictions which rule out stays from potential anti-social parties – for example stag and hen parties, and younger-aged single sex parties generally. The target markets for the house are predominantly extended family and friends groups and heritage-motivated visitors, and all bookings will require the payment of a good house-keeping deposit to help reinforce standards of expected behaviour."

There are no plans to include the barn in this change of use.

When the move was announced earlier this year it was made clear that the commercial operations would be suspended for a number of days and weekends each year, so people can still have access to the site to enjoy community activities and events.

At the time, The Red House Yorkshire Heritage Trust said: "Our group’s priority remains that this important heritage site is respected and protected in public or community hands. We recognise that for this to happen, there must be an appropriate, sympathetic and financially viable use for the site, so while we certainly welcome the investment, we remain open-minded about the Council’s new approach.

"From conversations we have had with the Council, we are pleased that they recognise that our views on the future of Red House are important. We have been assured that although this proposal does have a commercial focus, there is a commitment to ensuring our local community can also access the site over a number of open weekends and specially-curated events throughout the year which pay homage to its outstanding heritage credentials."