A BATTLE royal over the historic St Osyth Priory has ended after a deal was struck at a planning inquiry.

The Sargeant family, which owns the listed building, has agreed to spend £7.4 million in repairs and in return Tendring Council will let them build 89 more houses on the site.

Tim Sargeant branded the move “the start of a new, positive era for the Priory estate”.

However, the Save Our St Osyth campaign group said it was “deeply saddened” by the deal, which it said would have a dramatic impact on the village.

The planning inquiry at Weeley was set to last three weeks until the deal was struck on Friday.

Mr Sargeant said the deal, which adds to the Welbeck consent for 190 homes earlier this year, will be a catalyst to a better working relationship with the council and the community.

The agreement commits the Sargeants to restoring most of the priory within ten years.

Mr Sargeant said: “City and Country has already started on the restoration of Bailiff’s Cottage and part of the Great Gatehouse, which will be completed spring.”

A charitable trust with TV’s George Clarke as a trustee has also been created, which over the next 12 months will apply for lottery funding to restore the Tithe Barn, dairy and cart shed into a wedding and conference venue, a visitor centre and café.

The deal also means progress can now be made on restoring Abbott’s Tower.

The family will allocate £1.2 million to the trust so it can gain £5 million in grant funding for the project.

Some £6.2 million will also be spent restoring the Great Gatehouse, the Darcy House West Wing, including the banqueting suite and drawing rooms in the Abbot’s Lodgings, which already having a wedding licence in place.

Mr Sargeant said work would start on the homes within the next year although the scheme will take several years to complete.

Altogether, with the restoration of the buildings, the development of a wedding venue and conference centre, Mr Sargeant believed the priory will “assist in the wider regeneration of the entire area bringing in “much needed investment”.

Tendring Council leader Neil Stock welcomed the deal, saying it prevented the possibility of the council losing the appeal which would have seen the houses being built without securing the restoration.

He said: “That would have been the worst possible scenario and what we have achieved is a positive outcome. It will secure the future of this valuable historic asset which could be a major attraction for both residents of Tendring and those visiting the district.

“The Sargeants have today confirmed their willingness to meet the planning committee’s resolution and withdraw the appeals and so it has been possible for the council to grant conditional planning permission.”