PLANS have been lodged to turn Red House – which was frequently visited by Charlotte Bronte – into holiday accommodation.

Kirklees Council says the proposal is aimed at appealing to "heritage-motivated visitors" keen to stay in a house inexorably linked with Haworth's famous literary sibling.

Charlotte was a regular visitor to Red House in the 1830s when it was home to the Taylor family and her friend Mary. The building also featured in her novel Shirley.

The latest proposed scheme for the Grade II*-listed building was initially put forward by Kirklees Council earlier this year, when it outlined a £600,000 investment into the Gomersal site to bring the historic property and neighbouring cart shed back into use.

The house and grounds are seen as an important heritage asset because of their association with the Taylor family, and Charlotte.

Red House operated as a community museum, but visitor numbers and increasing costs made the site unviable and it closed in 2016.

The council intended selling the property but that prompted a petition from Red House Heritage Group in 2019, which resulted in the authority’s cabinet agreeing to explore alternative uses for the site which could keep it in public hands.

In a design and access statement accompanying the plans, it states that the main house would be available as a short-term holiday let accommodating ten guests across five bedrooms.

It adds: "Because of its romantic associations with the Brontes, and the property’s appeal to heritage-motivated visitors, we anticipate there may be demand from guests staying in Red House to combine their stay with a wedding ceremony within the house. "We will therefore apply to license the main reception hall for small wedding ceremonies, so that guests staying in the house may get married as a part of their stay."

The cart shed would be split into four self-catering apartments, which could be booked individually and independently from Red House.

The report adds: "The properties will be presented in a manner expected to appeal to visitors motivated by their Bronte heritage. Nevertheless, there will be explicit booking restrictions which rule out stays from potential anti-social parties – for example stag and hen parties, and younger-aged single-sex parties generally. The target markets for the house are predominantly extended family and friends groups and heritage-motivated visitors, and bookings will require the payment of a good housekeeping deposit to help reinforce standards of expected behaviour."