Our Yorkshire Farm show stars Clive and Amanda Owen are set for a major revamp after receiving planning permission to convert their derelict cottage into a two-bedroom home.
The Channel 5 show follows the couple’s life on a remote sheep farm with their nine children.
Clive and Amanda bought High Smithy Holme, also known as Aunty Johns, a remote farmhouse in the Swaledale parish of Muker, in 2020 and it is a short distance from their sheep farm, Ravenseat.
The Grade II listed building has been empty for around 60 years and dates back to the early 18th century.
The couple is now set to start the process of turning the semi-derelict cottage into a two-bed home after having been given permission from The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s planning officers.
The officers recommended the application for approval, commenting that the plans ‘struck a good balance’ between conserving the building’s historic character and the requirements of modern habitation. They added that they were supportive of the farm being brought back into use.
Some conditions were imposed, including the installation of bat boxes on a sycamore tree in the grounds.
It was once the home of Anthony Clarkson, a Georgian-era land surveyor and commissioner who designed all of the tithe maps of Swaledale. His documents are still held in the National Archives.
(Image: historicengland.org.uk)
However, the plans reveal the home only has two bedrooms, meaning it would be unsuitable for the family of 11 to live there.
The floor plan includes a living room, hall/stairs and cupboard in the former parlour and dairy service room. a lounge in what was once a stable, kitchen/diner, utility and shower rooms to the rear, and two upstairs bedrooms.
(Image: Instagram/benfogle)
The Owens originally told the media that their purchase of High Smithy Holme was to provide themselves with a permanent home near their livestock, as Ravenseat is a tenanted property. Duty Free Shops billionaire businessman Robert Warren Miller owns the land.
However, the fact that High Smithy Holme will only include two bedrooms suggests it is unlikely to be large enough for the couple’s nine children, most of whom are still of school age.
The Owens also own a 17th-century cottage called The Firs, which is rented as a holiday let.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
