A DISUSED dairy farm in Edington will be transformed into a micro-distillery offering public tours, tastings, a gift shop and cafe.
Wiltshire Council approved plans submitted by Andrew Wilson from Tinhead Distillery for the site in Court Lane, Edington. The primary activity of the facility will be distilling alcoholic beverages and distilled non-alcoholic beverages. The shop and bar were required for the tours and intermittent evening events, the applicant explained.
Edington Parish Council did not object in principle but called for access and egress to and from the premises to be via Cowleaze Lane to avoid larger vehicles using Court Lane – which the planning officer noted was already the applicant’s intention.
Visitors to the premises must only use the 10 parking spaces provided in the plan and not park on verges in Court Lane to protect the amenities of residents in the already narrow road, the parish council said.
It also called for proper road markings at the junction of Court Lane with Baynton Way to ensure that priority was clear, because of the close proximity of the site access to that junction. and the potential increase in traffic along Baynton Way.
Concern was expressed by the council for the potential ‘creep’ in the suggestion of the availability of refreshments. Again the applicant was clear that the intention was to only provide refreshments for those visiting as part of the facilities for tours. The council feared that this commitment might ‘drift’ as time passed and this could put pressure on the parking availability.
But the county highways team raised no objections to the plan, after concluding there was adequate space for 10 proposed parking spaces and that the small scale development would not be likely to cause detriment to highway safety.
However the officer echoed the parish council’s concerns about the potential for the use of the site to increase, particularly in regards to the café/tasting area.
Thirteen letters of representation were received outlining similar traffic concerns. But there was also encouragement for the use of the disused buildings and that farms need to diversify to survive.
The application was approved subject to conditions that – excluding the distillery – use of the site should only take place between 8.30am and 6pm Mondays to Fridays.
Tours will operate by appointment only on Wednesdays and Fridays from 6pm to 10.30pm, Saturdays 10am to 4pm, and Sundays 11am to 3pm. There will be a maximum of 10 people on the tour at any one time.
Distillery operating times will be 8.30am to 6pm.
The use of the café/tasting area shall be solely for those visitors attending the distillery tour and shall at no point be open to the general public otherwise.
