ONE of the oldest buildings in the Ribble Valley plans to build modern, eco-friendly sleeping huts within its grounds.

Owners of the historic Samlesbury hall has submitted plans to Ribble Valley Council to build 28 'Shepard Huts' which will be powered by solar and wind energy.

The proposed plans also include a treehouse and a play area for children on the site of a former nine-hole golf course which has not been used in recent years.

Each hut is portable, can sleep up to four people and features a shower, toilet, kitchen, lounge and bedroom.

Each hut will be decorated with individual plaques from different eras of the halls history.

Sharon Jones, the hall director, said the former golf course needed to be put to good use.

She said: "We want to bring more people to the hall and to Lancashire, but we didn't want to go down the hotel route.

"We wanted to keep in line with the historic nature of the hall and we looked at a variety of different ways of housing people.

"We found these huts by a company called 'Woodcaves' who build these incredible, quirky huts in different styles and they looked perfect for us.

"The hall wants luxury, and with each hut having its own unique plaque of history, it will help keep the hall looking different and it won't feel like a hotel."

The Grade I-listed building is renowned as one of the most haunted locations in Britain with alleged sightings of Dorothy Southworth who died of a broken heart been seen within the hall and grounds.

Samlesbury Parish Council objected to the proposed plans on the grounds that the huts would be completely out of character with the building.

A spokesman said: "The building has been a focal point of the village for some 700 years and the parishioners do not with to be remembered in future years for being instrumental in its conversion to a mini Centre Parcs, please give the building the dignity it warrants."