Plans for a café and wine tasting area at a farm in Cottonworth have been approved.

Black Chalk Wines, based at The Old Dairy on the Fullerton Estate, will now be able to convert the former metal workers workshop into a mixed use unit, with a reception and wine tasting area for those on wine tours of the estate, as well as providing offices for members of staff.

A café for members of the public passing by is also intended, with “local wine and alcohol, teas/coffees and light snacks” among the items that will be served from breakfast until 9pm. An additional 24 new parking spaces, an outdoor seating area and a new toilet block, will also be added to accommodate visitors to the new unit. It is anticipated that 1-2 jobs will be created.

The plans, initially submitted back in July, come amidst a time of increased expansion at the Cottonworth vineyards, which cover 30 acres across the Fullerton Estate. There are plans to dramatically expand the vineyard to cover 100 acres in “the near future”, while a winery, approved in 2018, allows for the grapes to be processed in the local area. Plans for the installation of condenser, chiller and compressor units to the rear of the winery have been submitted.

Having “secured over £1 million of additional funding,” Black Chalk are hoping to “establish a creative space – the first of its kind in the U.K. – which will allow collaborations with individuals wanting to make wine but lacking the facilities and expertise.”

The conversion of workshop for the café and wine tasting area was supported by Wherwell Parish Council, who gave their approval in August, with the plans being approved by Test Valley Borough Council last week. Construction and conversion work on the unit can now commence in due course.