Café, shop and tourism units proposed in farmhouse conversion

The company behind the regeneration of a derelict industrial site near Beverley has submitted plans to create a farmhouse café, shop and tourist accommodation as part of the project.

Lovel Developments Ltd sees the conversion of the existing building next to its Beverley Gateway development as bringing a boost to the local economy.

Philip Lovel, managing director of Lovel Developments, said the venture would benefit the retail, hospitality and tourism sectors but will not operate on a scale which competes with retailers in Beverley or nearby villages.

The three-storey farmhouse is at the corner of the A1079 and Killingwoldgraves Lane and is next to the Beverley Gateway site which was home to a former wallpaper and fabric pattern books manufacturer destroyed by fire in 2009.

Beverley Gateway already has planning permission for a filling station, a Starbucks drive-through store and four business units.   

The house is currently rented for residential use but is in need of renovation.

A planning application lodged with East Riding of Yorkshire Council is seeking consent for a change of use with extension and alteration of the property.

If approved, the ground floor would accommodate the shop and the café. Both facilities would be open to the public and would also serve the holiday rental accommodation which is planned for the first and second floors of the building.

The farmhouse grounds would be landscaped and would provide 41 parking spaces including three accessible spaces and some EV charging spaces.

Lovel added: “We are proposing a high quality, sustainable development in keeping with its location in the open countryside, which will contribute towards supporting the rural economy and the sustainability of the area.

“The project has the potential to create around 20 new jobs in addition to employment during the construction phase and to support many more by providing new opportunities for local suppliers.”