Councillors have welcomed plans to transform an historic country house near Wymondham into an exclusive wedding venue.

Clarenco PLC, trading as Amazing Retreats, has successfully applied to convert part of a former piggery in the grounds of Old Morley Hall, at Morley St Peter, into a room for wedding ceremonies and social functions.

The final portion of the building will be turned into a gym for guests staying at the grade I-listed hall.

Although yet to be formally submitted, the company also intends to put forward plans in due course to transform an adjacent barn into an area for wedding receptions.

According to the applicant, the eventual idea would be for wedding parties to rent out the entire grounds – the hall, social function rooms and gym - on an exclusive basis for a unique luxurious experience.

The application was unanimously approved by members of South Norfolk Council's planning committee last Wednesday.

Although planners had recommended the development for approval, officer Chris Trett did raise objections submitted by nearby residents who claimed it would cause a noise disturbance and increase traffic levels in a quiet rural area.

Norfolk County Council's highways department had regarded the location as unsustainable in terms of public events but said private wedding ceremonies would be acceptable.

David Pearce, senior project manager for Clarenco PLC, said he doubted if the wedding venue would be used more than twice a month and the facilities would not be open for general public use.

'We have refurbished Morley Old Hall, which is a grade I-listed building.

'We have put it back to almost how it should be, in keeping with how the hall was built. What we intend for the site is that guests of the hall would have weddings on the site and they would invite guests onto the site. We're not intending to be open to the public,' he said.

Councillor Alison Thomas said: 'I think anything that brings high end, exclusive customers into Norfolk with their credit cards in tow should be welcomed.

'This is exclusive, it will not be run of the mill. We will probably be celebrity spotting.'

Fellow councillor Christopher Kemp added: 'This is the sort of enterprise that's making use of our heritage, of the interesting buildings in this area in a sensitive way and we should give it our support.'

The approval came with a set of conditions which included restrictions on external lighting and the siting of marquees, as well as the prevention of external amplified music systems.