THE new owner of a 16th century manor house said he wants to create a venue everyone can enjoy - and it won't be a rave party mansion - after a controversial 24 hour alcohol and entertainment licence was granted for the premises.

Parnham House, near Beaminster, was granted the licence following a two-day meeting and a three-day decision making process.

The application sparked almost 100 objections from locals worried about noise and disruption.

Along with a 24-hour alcohol licence, the application for the granting of a premises licence includes musical and dance performances, recorded music, indoor sports events - including the potential for boxing or wrestling - and plays.

Owner James Perkins plans to use the Grade-I listed stately home as a venue for weddings and other small-scale events, as well as to provide accommodation for up to 100 people at a time. The Parnham House team anticipates at least 60 new jobs being created in the local area once the estate is fully up and running.

Planning applications for the restoration of the building are expected to be submitted in the coming months.

With the amount of work needing to be done before the project is fully up and running, Parnham House will be reopened in a phased approach. If all goes to plan, Mr Perkins hopes to be able to welcome guests as early as next summer.

With Mr Perkins having previously headed up rave scene promoter Fantazia, local residents were worried that Parnham House would be turned into a 'party mansion' - and Mr Perkins and his team have attempted to calm these fears and convince the public that this is not the direction they intend to go in.

Mr Perkins said: "The aim is to provide a sanctuary and a fantastic holiday for people looking to enjoy the area. We want to give people the chance to discover what the residents of Beaminster see every day.

"We’re not going to have 500 people having parties at the house every night. Once everything is up and running with the accommodation it will be around 100 people at its peak.

"We’ve fallen in love with Dorset and we’re looking forward to doing something everyone will enjoy, and be glad to have us as neighbours."

The property suffered catastrophic fire damage in a suspicious blaze in April 2017, and the new owners say the income that will be brought in as a result of this licence will help to re-develop the estate and pay for the refurbishment works.

The former owner of Parnham, Michael Treichl, was questioned by police about the fire and was found dead in Geneva two months later in a suspected suicide.

Dorset Council's licensing sub-committee met to consider whether or not to grant the licence. Due to the sheer volume of residents wanting to raise questions, described as 'unprecedented', the meeting carried on for two days.

Residents who lived locally to the manor house were concerned about the wide variety of events covered in the licence and there was a fear that if a licence was granted there would be frequent large events attended by substantial amounts of people. Neighbours were also concerned about the risk of noise and disturbances as a result of these events.

During the meeting, the two representatives in attendance for Parnham House, proposed designated premises supervisor, Nick Caton, and barrister Sarah Le Fevre, fielded questions from residents.

Representing Mr Perkins the two attempted to calm residents' fears, explaining to those in attendance that, despite the licensing application, Parnham House would not be used for big late-night musical events, but instead for small events for residential guests, weddings and the occasional major event, such as the Dorset Food Fair.

Mr Perkins said: "I’ve got a young family as has Nick and we don’t want parties here every night. We are trying to attract families and we want to be considerate when it comes to noise.

"We want to work with our neighbours and we don’t want there to be any inconveniences.

"We want to make Parnham House one of the greatest buildings in the area once again."