A woman, Jacqueline Wadsley, 52, who was a former pub owner and the main inheritor of a substantial £2.5 million estate from farmer Tony Martin, is seeking approval to develop a housing project on the land formerly owned by Martin. Alongside her husband David, 45, she has submitted a proposal to transform five deteriorated barns into ten new residential properties on Martin’s property at Bleak House Farm in Emneth Hungate, Norfolk.
The couple has applied for permission from King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Council under permitted development rights, which allow for the conversion of agricultural structures into residences without full planning permission. Wadsley and Martin developed a close bond after meeting at the Hare and Hounds pub she managed in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, following Martin’s release from Highpoint Prison in Suffolk in 2003.
Plans disclosed to the council outline the intention to revamp barns described as functional agricultural buildings, modest in appearance, with two steel-framed structures and the rest constructed of brick with metal cladding roofs. These barns are situated near Bleak House farmhouse, where the tragic incident occurred when Martin confronted and shot two intruders in 1999.
Martin, who passed away at the age of 80 in February last year, appointed Wadsley and her husband as executors of his will in 2013, surprising Wadsley with her inheritance. The estate, valued at £2,573,973 in the UK, was bequeathed to Wadsley after deductions for liabilities, excluding any potential overseas properties owned by Martin. The project to convert the barns into homes is part of the estate’s development plan.
In conclusion, the proposed housing development on the land previously owned by Tony Martin is a significant step for Jacqueline Wadsley and her husband, who are seeking to transform the agricultural barns into residential properties in memory of their late friend and benefactor.
