PLANS to set up a conference and events venue in a historic house near Cardross have been approved by Argyll and Bute Council - but the building won't be allowed to host any weddings.

The green light for the application paves the way for the sale of Leabank, a substantial Victorian villa, and its conversion to host events for up to 125 people at a time.

Colin Wilson, of Culter House Ltd, submitted a “change of use” application to the local authority for the nine-bedroomed mansion, which was put up for sale in mid-2015 after the death of one of the owners.

The property went on the market with an asking price of £599,000 – but according to a supporting statement, “no reasonable offers” were made to buy the property.

That changed when Culter House Ltd made a bid to purchase the house, surrounding stables and lodge house, along with a timber chalet and 3.5 hectares of parkland and woodland.

The offer was accepted subject to the council granting planning permission for the building’s change of use.

The application was granted subject to 12 conditions, including measures on road safety and access.

One of the conditions also stipulates that no weddings or wedding receptions can be held in the house or the surrounding grounds.

The planning application covers only Leabank House itself “and its immediate environs” along with a new vehicular access point and an area for car parking.

In the supporting statement, planning consultant RT Hutton said: “It is proposed that the house be used mainly as a conference centre, but that events such as weddings could also be accommodated to optimise the use of the facility and maximise the benefits to the local economy.

“The applicants’ partners for this development have extensive experience of the conference market, and they consider that the ease of access to the Glasgow conurbation, and particularly proximity to the airport, make the site well located for such a facility.”

The statement says the building could accommodate “an absolute maximum” of 125 people at any one time, and urges that planning permission be granted, even though Leabank is in the green belt, because of the economic benefits the building’s conversion would bring to the area.

Mr Hutton goes on to say: “This planning application proposes a use which will bring people into the area, with a resultant benefit to the local economy.

“It will be achieved with minimum physical alteration, and will also ensure the long term maintenance of both the building and the estate.”

Built in 1857 by a local industrialist, Leabank House was taken over by the Church of Scotland in the 1950s and used as a residential institution.

The present owners bought the property from the Kirk in 1992 and embarked on a programme of improvement to restore the building to much of its original condition after it became run down.

The application attracted two representations from the public – one from a private individual and the other from Cardross Community Council – raising concerns over road safety, access to the site, noise, environmental pollution and potential anti-social behaviour.