New plans for Shire Hall after 13 years of non-use

An iconic Georgian courthouse could reopen for business after more than a decade of not being used.

In 2023, the BBC discovered that maintaining Shire Hall in Chelmsford had cost taxpayers almost £1m since it shut its doors in 2012.

Essex County Council owns the Grade II* listed building - which was most recently used as a magistrates' court - but offered a long-term lease to the Essex Shire Hall Trust in 2024.

Chelmsford City Council has received the trust's proposals for an £8.7m project, which would involve restoring each floor of the 18th Century interior to be used for restaurants, office space and filming opportunities, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The building has been used as a set for ITV's Mr Bates vs The Post Office, and for the Channel 4 true-crime docu-drama series The Jury: Murder Trial.

It was also the court where Agnes Waterhouse's trial took place in 1566, leading to what was widely considered to be the first execution for witchcraft in England.

She was accused of sending her cat to harm a neighbour's goods.

The trust's chairman Malcolm Noble said the public was very supportive of the ideas when consulted and they were "pretty confident that we're nearly there".

"I think we'll have crossed the river, as it were, when we get the planning permission, because that will lead directly to having the lease," he said.

He added that the trust aimed to run the building once it obtained the lease.

A successful planning application would also put Shire Hall in a position to apply for grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

A statement as part of a planning application described the proposed design as one that looks to "re-animate" rather than "obscure its architectural character".

It added: "Ultimately the scheme is less about alteration and more about re-activation unlocking the latent potential of a significant historic asset".

The council received the planning application on 7 May.

Do you have a story suggestion for Essex? Contact us below.

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.