THE owner of a local farm hopes that a proposed artisan cheese production facility will help regenerate the site, if Herefordshire planners agree to the scheme.

Dorstone Court Farms Ltd, has submitted plans to convert an existing steel portal frame warehouse, previously used for potato storage, into an artisan cheese production facility for a well-established local food business – Neals Yard Creamery Ltd, an independent dairy making fresh and mould-ripened cheeses, yoghurts and crème fraîche.

The application forms part of a broader strategy to regenerate and repurpose buildings on the site with sustainable and economically productive uses, while retaining their agricultural heritage and rural character.

The unit, one of five industrial-style storage units, originally constructed in the 1970s that form the wider Dorstone Court Farm complex. The site benefits from good vehicular access and is well separated from residential areas.

The intention is to support the relocation and expansion of the local cheese artesian by providing it with improved facilities in a larger and more accessible location.

The scope of the works includes the retention of the existing building and structure except for the installation of new access doors, glazed units, and windows.

The steel frame and insulated internal finishes are well suited to controlled production environments and require little modification for the proposed use.

Neals Yard Creamery Ltd is currently based only a mile away from the new site and as such this would make for an ideal expansion programme, on a long-term lease.

Artisan cheese making requires space to allow for storing and maturing cheese and as such this unit is ideal as it can provide an ‘umbrella’ within which to create a facility where cheese and other dairy products can be produced in hygienic conditions for local and national sales.

Alan Hayes the principle designer for Capital Refrigeration Services Ltd said: “This proposal represents a sustainable, low-impact change of use that supports a local artisan business, reuses existing agricultural infrastructure, and contributes to the long-term viability and revitalisation of Dorstone Court Farm.

“The site is readily adaptable for the intended use, requiring only minimal physical changes. The proposal aligns with local planning objectives for rural enterprise, diversification, and sustainability.”

Comments can be made on the application, number P252978/F via Herefordshire Council’s planning portal until Thursday, December 11.

For more information about planning applications in your area visit publicnoticeportal.uk .