Bats block plans to save dilapidated 17th-century Telford mansion

Bats have derailed plans to save a dilapidated 17th-century Telford mansion.

The dilapidated Upper House in Madeley was once an impressive mansion and, much later, the home of Madeley Magistrates Court.

The building was built by royalist sympathiser and mining and ironworks magnate Francis Woolfe, who hid King Charles II in a barn in the grounds after the monarch’s defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

After the grand building fell into disuse in the 2000s, planning permission was granted in 2020 for the property to be converted into eight flats.

But that work did not take place, and in 2023, the local community raised concerns about teenage vandals running riot in the derelict property.

In January this year, the historic building went up for auction, and several months later a fresh planning application for eight flats was submitted to the local authority.

Given the similarity to the 2020 plans, it should have been plain sailing for the new owners. But on Wednesday, the plans were quashed - thanks to the presence of bats.

Documents submitted to Telford & Wrekin Council show that bats were observed entering and exiting the building during recent surveys.

Refusing the plans, a council planning officer said that insufficient information had been submitted to show the effect the development would have on bats, which are a protected species.

“In the absence of such information, [we] cannot ascertain whether the proposal would result in the disturbance, injury or loss of a bat roost, nor whether any impacts could be adequately avoided, mitigated or compensated.”

No other reasons were given for the refusal of the plans.

The full application and decision notice are available to view online on Telford & Wrekin Council’s planning portal using reference number TWC/2026/0561

You can find out more about planning applications and planned roadworks where you live by visiting publicnoticeportal.uk/shropshire-star