Following the closure of the approved school in 1982, the Hall was bought by a private owner. He never occupied the Hall and allowed it to fall into a serious state of decay. After years of neglect, Apethorpe Hall became a category A building on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk register when it first began in 1998.
Statutory action was commenced in the mid-1990s by the local planning authority, leading to English Heritage’s direct involvement from 1999. Several Urgent Works Notices were served in 2000-2001, and repairs were carried out when the owner took no action, but the building continued to deteriorate. A comprehensive Repairs Notice for over £6m of essential repairs was served by English Heritage and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in 2001, followed by a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) in 2002.
The owner then sold the property to a development company. They produced unsuitable proposals for subdivision and new build houses in the grounds, but failed to address the major repair issues. English Heritage once again had to intervene to ensure that basic holding repairs were carried out.
The CPO was contested by the developers and a Public Inquiry was held in 2004. The independent inspector concluded that none of the developer’s various proposals would properly safeguard the future of the Hall, and the CPO was confirmed. English Heritage took over the site in September 2004, and commenced a programme of major repairs.
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