An application for listed building consent for the installation of solar panels at Glenarm Castle has been lodged with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.
A design and access statement submitted with the application says that the proposal is for the installation of PV panels to the roof of the privately-owned County Antrim stately home.
It has been stressed that the “setting and character of the house will be retained within this application”.
The statement explains: “The overall concept for Glenarm Castle is to continue to manage the wider estate and at the same time to consider the employment of sustainable methods of energy supply and conservation to individual buildings and settings as appropriate.
“This aspiration aligns with ensuring that the longevity and amenity value of the historic building for the enjoyment of the building owner and applicant as a private residence, as well as the wider visitor experience within this historic setting, is available for future generations.”
It is also stated that the external features of the listed building are in good condition and the form and character of the building remains intact.
“The setting and character of the house will be retained within this application,” it said.
Regular maintenance and review of the roof condition and fixings will be monitored.
The design and access statement continues:
“Glenarm Castle’s origins date from 1756 when its original double pile Palladian block was designed by Christopher Myers. In 1825, it was remodelled by Richard and William (Virtuvius) Morrison.
“This has been the ancestral home of the Earls of Antrim since 1603 and the site may also incorporate part of the first house dating from the early 17th century.”
“The building was damaged substantially by fire in 1929 – rebuilt by Imre and Angell – and again in 1966, rebuilt by Donald Insall to a reduced scale.”
It is noted that Glenarm Castle is located in a setting of 557 hectares. The estate has been used for more than a century for hunting and entertaining. There are a number of noteworthy remaining buildings including the Barbican Gate, farm buildings, bridges and smaller residences.
The statement also says: “Glenarm Castle is a grand three-storey Jacobethan-style mansion with corner turrets, domelets, weather vanes, gabled parapets, tall chimneys and a large entrance porch.”
It is grade A-Listed for its “architectural interest on the basis of its style, proportion, ornamentation, alterations detracting from building, alterations enhancing the building, quality and survival of interior setting”.