AN EXTRA kitchen area has been agreed for a Dorset arts venue at the Grade 1 listed Sherborne House.

The Trust which runs the building says that it will help maintain the financial viability of the venue.

The centre opened in January 2024 after being empty for 30 years, the refurbishment and new use removing the building from the national 'At Risk Register.'

The Trust says the new, relatively small, single storey kitchen area will help boost income, catering for events in the Pavilion, an addition to the Georgian-style main house at the rear of the building.

Said the Trust in its application for planning consent to Dorset Council: "Whilst there is a current kitchen within the Coach House, this alone does not generate the income necessary. It serves the restaurant well, yet the Pavilion space is unable to cater for events in parallel."

Plans for the extension include using matching stone and a sedum 'green' roof. The Trust say the proposed building would be constructed within the service yard, which is generally not visible from the north or south of the grounds because of the stone walls that border it.

In a summary to support the new kitchen plans an agent acting for the Trust says: "To maintain this momentum, and to ensure the property's heritage can be enjoyed by the public for years to come, the business needs to remain viable.

"The addition of the modest events kitchen, inserted into a part of the site that is rarely seen by the public, would support this viability.

"Given that the events kitchen would only be used for events within the Pavilion, would not be as intense in operation as the current kitchen in The Coach House, any effect from activities of the kitchen to neighbouring dwellings would be minimal.

"We feel this modest development would be a benefit to the longevity of the heritage asset and should be permitted to enable the public to enjoy The Sherborne for years to come."