Farm shop boasting café and community room could open near popular beauty spot

A new farm shop boasting its own café and community room could soon open near a popular beauty spot. Bank Top Farm, close to Hollingworth Lake, in Littleborough, has submitted plans for the new attraction in a bid to take its business ‘to the next level’ and boost the local economy.

The two-storey building would be built just off Hollingworth Road - about a third of a mile from the lake. However, planning papers say that the ‘high quality’ new facility would sit into the slope of the hillside and only have ‘limited impact’ on the openness and appearance of the picturesque area.

A document submitted with the application explains it is becoming increasingly difficult to make farms the size of Bank Top viable -and ‘diversification’ is often necessary ‘to ensure future existence’. It also notes that the government encourages local authorities to ‘support well-conceived plans for diversification in rural areas including green belt land’.

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“The proposed development is a means of diversifying by formalising and improving an existing part-time 'farm shop' operation which has been well used by local customers over several years,” the document adds. “This very accessible site is well positioned to serve the local community and provide it with permanent facilities that will enhance the area.

“The careful design of the building and its integration into the landscape in both form and materials will have no ill effect on the green belt. This development should therefore be considered as appropriate and desirable to serve the local community and secure the ongoing viability of Bank Top Farm.”

Plans to build on the green