A COUNTRY house, which is being built near Kirkbymoorside, is set for a new man-made lake, boating house and deer park, among a raft of new parkland developments.

As part of phase two of Ravenswick Hall’s construction, being discussed by Ryedale District Council’s (RDC) planning committee tonight, the 76-hectare site will see the creation of a 185 square metre palm house, as well as moon lakes, kitchen garden, brick and stone bridges and two timber bridges over the adjacent River Dove.

The old hall, which was constructed in the early 1900s, was demolished last year. Now, a new home, labelled the first of its kind in 200 years, is being built on the same site.

According to the planning agents: “Ravenswick Hall is a property in the English country house tradition; and the first tranche of work was to build the hall and its attendant gardens and staff cottages.

“Since the house is to draw upon the past, it is only right that the landscape treatment do so.

“This proposal completes the country house development at Ravenswick by proposing traditional features of a country estate (stables, estate office, conservatory, deer park, and kitchen garden) in a parkland landscape of woodland copses, naturalistic and mannered water bodies, and traditional parkland buildings such as bridges and boathouse - all linked by sinuous pathways and open sweeps of eadow grassland.”

RDC planning officers, recommending approval of the new developments, said: “The proposed development would introduce traditional features that complement the parkland estate and would complete the country house development.”

Gareth Jenkins, who is documenting the build in a blog at ravenswickhall.com, said that progress on the house is looking rapid.