AN appeal date has been set for plans to demolish Prinknash Abbey and build ten mansions in its place.

The planned development from Tetbury-based Edward Blake Ltd. was refused in 2015 by Stroud District Council due to concerns over scale, impact, sustainability and ecology.

In September, an appeal was submitted to 10 three-storey houses, with price tags ranging from several hundred thousand to more than a million pounds.

The 1970s art-deco monastery would be entirely demolished.

The hearing on this appeal will be held at Ebley Mill in Stroud on Tuesday, November 14 from 10am.

A 12-strong community of Benedictine monks abandoned the Roman Catholic monastery in 2008 and moved back to their nearby home of St Peter's Grange.

After years of lying empty the religious building was sold to Edward Blake Ltd, which then – with the full backing of the monks – submitted the luxury development plans.

Within the appeal document, compiled by Hunter Page Planning, based in Cheltenham, it states: “The council has not properly considered what will happen to the building if the site is not brought back into beneficial re-use.

“The potential is that the building becomes dilapidated, unsafe and attracts anti-social behaviour and vandalism.

“Even if it were capable of re-use, the future use of the building could be significantly more intense than the scheme for 10 dwellings, which is plainly not desirable.

“The appellant considers this proposal to be sustainable development that provides social, economic and environmental benefits.

“Uniquely, the appeal proposal replaces a large and imposing building that has historically scarred the landscape.”