sentences:  After being sold at auction in 1957, 'New' Berry Hall sat empty while its new owners tried to get planning permission to convert the Hall into a hotel.The wrangling over planning permissions was still ongoing in 1959 when a reporter from the "Solihull News" visited the grounds after reports received from concerned locals.The reporter found that the once immaculately manicured grounds were now very overgrown; but the owners assured him that the interior of the hall was being maintained.