A rural Dorset estate formerly owned by a wealthy Dorset businessman who was wanted by US authorities for allegedly smuggling military parts to Iran is set to have new life breathed into it.

Plans have been submitted by Andrew Nicholas to convert the Grade II listed Chalmington Manor in Cattistock near Dorchester to create four apartments and a new manor house with ancillary accommodation.

Alongside this, there will also be a new kitchen and dining area to replace a fire-damaged section of the building along with the conversion of a stables to create covered parking bays and the installing of a new driveway with gates.

The property was formerly owned by Brian Woodford, who grew up in Evershot and attended the former Hardye’s School in Dorchester. He bought 17th-century Chalmington Manor in 1965.

The estate also has its own airstrip and Mr Woodford once owned a collection of aircraft there.

However, in 2009, Mr Woodford was wanted by US authorities for allegedly smuggling military parts to Iran through his Singapore-based company Monarch Aviation.

But he went into hiding and was never found but was charged in absentia.

Brian Woodford’s wife Laura Wang Woodford was arrested when she entered the US in 2007 and was sentenced to 46 months in prison for conspiring to violate a US trade embargo by exporting controlled aircraft components to Iran.

However, the 34-acre estate went under the hammer on behalf of receivers last July and sold for between £1.2m and £1.5m.

The Manor boasts 12 bedrooms, a three bedroom flat and an estate that includes stable, tennis courts, paddocks and even an aircraft hangar.

The planning report added: “Being uninhabited has taken its toll on the fabric of the building, including a significant electrical fire that destroyed much of the kitchen infill. Given the current condition, substantial investment is required to upgrade the existing accommodation and carry out essential maintenance and repair work to safeguard its future.”

Applicants held a pre-application enquiry and site visit was carried out with the local authority Conservation Officer in the autumn of 2017 to obtain the informal opinion of the council on the proposed alterations.

The plans will be determined by West Dorset District Council later this year.