Plans have been revealed to repurpose a “deteriorating” manor house on a Herefordshire farm.

The nineteenth-century, three-storey Eyton Hall, near the village of Eyton northwest of Leominster, is owned by the Dale family which also owns the Frank H Dale steelworks plant in the town.

The owners plan to reduce it from its current 17 bedrooms to nine, with the freed-up space to be occupied by offices and “research and development” space, plus four bunk rooms and a new on-site sewage treatment plant, according to their planning application (number 240858).

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The hall, which is not heritage listed, is currently empty following the passing last year of its sole occupant.

“Its condition had been allowed to deteriorate through lack of upkeep, whereby significant renovations and decoration works are required [which] began late last year,” the application explains.

“The applicant has no requirement for a dwelling of this size,” it adds.

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The commercial part of the building would consist of offices, workshops, a kitchen and meeting rooms on the ground floor, with four first-floor bedrooms to accommodate on-call workers.

This has been designed with an unnamed local firm in mind, which “has outgrown their current premises within the county”, the application says.

It has eight employees, of whom six would be on-site at a time.

Comments on the planning application can be made via the Herefordshire Council webpage until May 24.

Permission has already been given to convert two smaller buildings at the farm into two houses.