The owner of Mentmore Towers, the Grade-I listed mansion used as Wayne Manor in the 2005 film Batman Begins, has responded to a council repairs notice over bats and masonry work.
Buckinghamshire Council served a listed-building repairs notice last month, urging the owners to carry out bat surveys and repair masonry. The owner has responded, saying the country house's "Batman" team have "already been on the case".
Owner's response to repairs notice
Property tycoon Simon Halabi, via a spokesperson, said "professional surveys, ecological investigations and preparatory work towards a programme of repairs and restoration are already actively progressing".
The spokesman for Mentmore said: "The Halabi family trust remain absolutely committed to the long-term preservation and restoration of Mentmore Towers. The suggestion that nothing is being done at the property is false."
They added: "Since the council's correspondence earlier this year, professional consultants and contractors have been engaged, specialist surveys have been undertaken, asbestos and other investigations have progressed, and a formal ecological and bat-survey programme has been commissioned and commenced. A schedule of works is being prepared and quotations are being obtained."
"There is an irony in the suggestion that nobody is dealing with the bats when a team of professional ecologists – effectively Mentmore's own Batman team – has already been on the case. These are not cosmetic exercises. They are necessary professional and statutory steps before responsible works can be undertaken on a Grade I-listed building of the age, scale and importance of Mentmore Towers."
Building condition and legal steps
Historic England lists the mansion, built between 1852 and 1854 for the Rothschild family, as in "very bad" condition and records its vulnerability as "high". If the notice is not dealt with, the council could seek government approval to acquire the mansion, subject to further legal action, the BBC reported.
The notice ordered bat surveys be completed by next August and, once works begin, the council and Historic England officers must be allowed to inspect the building weekly.
Save Britain's Heritage said Buckinghamshire Council ordered urgent repairs to the deteriorating roof. The stately home, near Leighton Buzzard, is the only surviving major work in Britain by Crystal Palace designer Joseph Paxton, and will appear in the upcoming war film, Pressure.
Security fencing dispute
Mentmore's owners hit out at Buckinghamshire Council, claiming the local authority had taken legal action which resulted in security fencing being removed. The statement, issued on Wednesday, added: "Mentmore has suffered repeated unauthorised entry and trespass in recent years. Security personnel have had to deal with intrusions and the police have been contacted on numerous occasions."
"Temporary security fencing was put in place precisely to restrict unauthorised access and protect the building, its historic fabric and those who might otherwise enter a potentially dangerous structure. These steps are also aimed to reducing incidents which have taken up police time and therefore taxpayers’ money to deal with. Yet Buckinghamshire Council has taken legal action which has resulted in that security fencing having to be removed."
The owners also raised an issue with a temporary storage shed, installed to "protect and securely store important architectural features, doors, building components, equipment and materials required for the repair and eventual restoration" of the mansion.
Mentmore's spokesperson said: "It is therefore difficult to understand why a structure whose purpose is directly connected with protecting the fabric and materials needed to restore Mentmore should itself be the subject of action seeking its removal or demolition."
Peter Strachan, Buckinghamshire Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Planning, said: "Our focus and priority is making sure this Grade I listed building - well known and well-loved in Buckinghamshire - is protected and preserved. This is why we've already issued a Repairs Notice to the site owners."
He added: "We are also aware of works on site that have been carried out without planning permission which we've looked into and are taking appropriate enforcement action on."
