Plans have been submitted to convert former farm buildings to create a wedding venue in the Test Valley.
The proposal includes rebuilding the granary, single storey extensions to the main barn and shelter sheds, alterations to windows and doors of the main barn and associated outbuildings, installing solar panels, landscaping, and car parking.
Andrew Forrester applied for the work at Moorcourt Farm in Ridge Lane, Ower.
The buildings have been maintained but they have had no permanent commercial use since 2016 when it was a dairy.
The houses and farm buildings are all owned and managed by the Broadlands Estate.
No public comments in support or objection have been submitted, but Romsey Town Council's planning committee will discuss the scheme at its meeting on Thursday August 3.
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On the application's planning statement, it said: “In 2017 the courtyard was used as a ‘pop-up’ wedding venue and a large marquee was pitched there from time to time until 2020, when a formal application was made to set up a permanent wedding venue but this initiative floundered for personal reasons.
“The proposed development is for a purpose designed wedding venue. The proposals utilise all of the existing heritage buildings.
“The estate considered a number of alternative uses for the buildings, before concluding that a wedding venue provides a ‘perfect fit’ with the farmstead at Moorcourt. The principal activities of the wedding venue fit well within the principal heritage buildings of the farmstead, and the ancillary activities of the wedding venue fit within the ancillary buildings of the farmstead. The whole setting of the farmstead would be enhanced by the development and this can be achieved without a change in character of the buildings.
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“The proposed use is for a self contained wedding venue providing a dedicated space for indoor and outdoor civil ceremonies, a flexible space for wedding breakfasts and evening celebrations, overnight accommodation for the honeymoon couple and 28 guests, associated parking, servicing, catering support, housekeeping, admin and sales functions. In peak periods the rotation can be one wedding every 24 hours, but the norm is 150-200 weddings per annum spread over 12 months with the high season being May – September.
“The proposed use will ensure the economic viability of the buildings as a wedding venue, which will both generate the necessary investment to restore the buildings and ensure their useful and productive life into the future.”
To see more details about the application online, search 23/01715/FULLS on Test Valley Borough Council's planning portal.
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