Plans for a new farm shop, café and business units near Gnosall have been approved, with planners backing the scheme as a boost to jobs, tourism and the rural economy.
The development at Plardiwick Farm – a former Staffordshire County Council dairy farm – will see an existing brick agricultural building converted into a farm shop, alongside a café extension and four new office units replacing redundant milking sheds.
Officers from Stafford Borough Council said the scheme represents ‘an appropriate form of rural diversification which will support the local rural economy in a sustainable location’.
The site forms part of Norbury Park Estate, which owns around 1,600 acres of land locally and has invested heavily in environmental work in recent years. In a Supporting Planning Statement, the applicant said the estate has planted more than 500,000 trees since 2009 and is ‘an internationally important location for scientific research into climate change and tree health’.
Norbury Park Estate acquired Plardiwick Farm in 2021, and has made significant environmental improvements since, including thousands of new trees and the introduction of biodiversity-focused farming.
The application sought permission to redevelop part of the site where dairy operations have ceased, with the statement explaining: “The Estate wishes to invest in improving and re-purposing the farmhouse and farm buildings, maximising the use of renewable and low-carbon technologies.”
Plans include 19 parking spaces for the offices and 16 for the shop and café, along with cycle storage and electric vehicle charging points. The farm shop is expected to sell local produce, while the café will provide indoor and outdoor seating.
Around 21 jobs could be created across the development, according to the applicant.
Officers said the scheme would also support tourism, noting: “The proposed café and farm shop would provide additional tourism facilities in close proximity to the Shropshire Union Canal and the Newport to Stafford Greenway.”
Despite objections from highways officers over access and road safety, planners concluded the impact would not be severe and could be mitigated through junction improvements.
The officers’ report said the development ‘is not considered to have a severe or unacceptable impact on highway safety’.
Permission was granted subject to conditions, including ecological mitigation, design details and highway works.
