An enterprising Herefordshire farmer has been given the go-ahead to create a restaurant, guest house, field laboratory and office at his farm.

Ben Taylor-Davies of Townsend Farm, Brampton Abbotts near Ross-on-Wye plans accommodation for guests on educational visits to his innovative and highly diversified farm.

The “niche, low-key” restaurant will host up to 16 at a time and would be “finished by 9:30pm” , Mr Taylor-Davies said in a letter accompanying his application.

Ninety-five per cent of the produce served in it, ranging from meat, grains, vegetables and fruit to beer and wine, will be produced on the farm.

Production of a Wye valley pasta from grains grown on the farm will also start “shortly”, his letter adds.

The laboratory and office would meanwhile be used for Mr Taylor-Davies’ growing business as a soil biology analyst.

There would be “some transport and highway impacts” from the scheme, his planning application says.

But there would be no extra traffic, with just “six to eight” vehicles a day at weekends only, one delivery a week “as produce will be home-grown”, and no extra refuge collections.

The buildings would be insulated internally to minimise noise.

But Brampton Abbotts and Foy Parish council objected that no noise impact assessment had been provided.

Herefordshire Council’s environmental health officer did not object on noise grounds, but urged that there be no amplified music inside or outside of the restaurant, which formed a condition of the permission.

Mr Taylor-Davies last month faced a planning dispute with the parish council over his plans to host “community gatherings” at the farm on weekends and holidays. That application was also approved.

But planning officer Joshua Evans said that, “in line with the parish council’s concerns”, the new restaurant’s hours of opening would be limited to between 11am and 11pm Friday to Sunday, and any deliveries kept to daytimes.