Sarah Beeny turns Restoration Nightmare into 'dream come true' after finally launching controversial wedding venue

TV presenter Sarah Beeny says she has finally 'realised her dreams' by legally listing her controversial mansion as a wedding venue.
Beeny and her husband Graham Swift said they have overcome a 'stressful' 12 months to open Rise Hall, near Hornsea, East Yorkshire, for bookings.
They bought the former convent 10 years ago and were granted a wedding licence by East Riding Council in 2010, although couples were not allowed to get married 'over concerns for the health and safety of their registrars'.

Here come the brides: Sarah Beeny infront of Rise Hall which has finally received the permission to be used as a wedding venue

Beeny’s run-ins with the authority over the property featured in her Channel 4 programme, Beeny’s Restoration Nightmare.
The couple bought the 33-bedroom property for £441,101 in 2001 and part of the TV series showed a section of it being turned into a wedding venue.
However, Beeny had not yet applied for a planning application for weddings which angered her local Councillor.
She has now put all the wrangles with the council behind her.
The property developer said: 'Both Graham and I are so pleased that we are able to realise our dreams in bringing this beautiful house alive again and we look forward to sharing Rise Hall with future couples who are now able to get married here.'

Lovingly restored: Rise Hall has already hosted weddings since Beeny moved in, but they did not have the permission to do so

Earlier in 2011 Humberside Fire and Rescue Service restricted use of the first-floor bedrooms as there was no 'protected means of escape'.
Speaking last year Beeny said: 'Every time we agree things, they say they want more things; I think our frustration is that Rise Hall is a really important significant building and everything has been done to a really high standard.
'They don’t have a problem with what we have done, their problem is that we didn’t talk to them enough about it.'

Sweet dreams: One of the 33 bedrooms at Rise Hall with wood panelling

The presenter also had to submit a retrospective application to turn Rise Hall into a home, because she did not apply for change of use permission when she started living there.
Beeny and her husband Graham Swift say the hall never had planning permission, and had been a family home in the past.
But local councillor Matthew Grove told the Hull Daily Mail: 'The ordinary man in the street has to jump through hoops to get even the smallest extension approved.
'Yet here we have a listed building being changed, with no planning permission in place, and without anyone batting an eyelid.'
Beeny said they had spent £12,000 getting a certificate of lawful development to prove the former school was being used as a private residence, even though the council knew they had been living in it for 10 years.
The Grade II- star listed building boasts 28 rooms sleeping 56 guests and has seven reception rooms.
The venue will be managed by events specialists Dine.
Daniel Gill, managing director of Dine, said: 'Rise Hall is a beautiful country house, which has been painstakingly restored by Sarah and Graham to bring it back to its former glory.
'The team at Dine is really enjoying working with the couple at this fairytale venue and we can’t wait to make brides’ dream wedding come true.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2092274/Sarah-Beenys-Restoration-Nightmare-finally-controversial-wedding-venue.html#ixzz1kk5bcoDI