Chesterfield MP urges owners of Brampton Manor to protect ‘beautiful’ and ‘historic’ building from vandals after recent arson attack

On Saturday, July 30, Brampton Manor was targeted by vandals, who broke into the site and lit a fire – which caused substantial damage to the property.

Residents have called for stronger security measures to stop any further incidents – and Toby Perkins MP has since met with senior managers from HP General Partner Ltd, the company that owns Brampton Manor.

He raised concerns regarding safety and security, particularly in relation to the residential properties in the vicinity, and the impact of antisocial behaviour.

Mr Perkins reported that the owners have already spent in excess of £25,000 on protection for the listed buildings and installing monitored CCTV from Riber Security, as well as manufacturing and installing a new gate across the bottom of the main drive. He added that the owners said they were in regular contact with Derbyshire Police and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue to address any issues, and have also shared the code for the main gate with the emergency services to speed up their response time.

Mr Perkins said that security at the site should have been more stringent – and added that it was crucial to protect the building while it is converted into a retirement village.

“The ongoing problems, which have culminated in the recent arson attack, make it clear that more needed to be done. Brampton Manor is a beautiful old building of real historic value and importance for Chesterfield and should have been better protected. The most important thing now is to ensure the site is as secure as possible whilst redevelopment is completed.

“Further security and CCTV has now been put in place and work will be taken to quickly remove building rubble from site to reduce the attraction for vandals. The CCTV is being watched permanently and anyone who illegally visits the site will now be urgently reported to the police.

“Work to the site is ongoing but the plan, planning approval dependent, is to demolish the former swimming pool and health club blocks within the next couple of months. I have made it very clear that I expect the owners to keep residents informed of any planned work, particularly in relation to controlled burning of timber, to lessen any anxieties.

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