Residents object to wedding venue plans

Dozens of people have objected to plans which would allow weddings to go ahead at a venue near Bromyard.

Edward Evans has asked Herefordshire Council to change the planning permission at Crumplebury Farm in Whitbourne to be able to host wedding receptions.

The £3 million development backed by the Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (AMC) is set in the grounds of the 1,500-acre Whitbourne Estate.

The venue had secured more than £1 million in wedding and corporate bookings for 2020, with the majority now set to take place in 2021.

But the site’s planning permission, which was granted in August 2017, has a condition which states the site shall be used for no other purpose than as a restaurant, guest accommodation and a conference centre.

Consultants working on the scheme say there is no difference in planning terms between the use of an ‘events facility’ for holding a conference, a private function, a private party, or a wedding reception.

“The character of the use would be entirely the same.

“In each instance, guests would arrive at roughly the same time, there would then be some form of arrival reception which may include a drinks reception or an introductory talk or meeting.

“There would be refreshments, a meal in the restaurant and then some form of after dinner entertainment which may be a guest speaker, an awards ceremony/presentation and then music and dancing.

“At the end of the event, guests would either retire to the on-site guest accommodation or would leave the premises at approximately the same time.”

But highways officers are opposing the removal of this condition due to the potential to increase traffic along the narrow country lanes leading to the site.

“Removal of condition 4 would mean that use of the site would be unconstrained and could result in additional vehicles, including HGVs, travelling along lanes that are unsuitable for high volumes of traffic and increase the use of the junction with the A44 which has severely substandard visibility,” the highways consultant said.

Liz Kershaw, a local objector, has called on the council to reject the proposals.

“The original application did not state at any point, that the venue would be specifically targeted at the wedding and party market.

“The word ‘wedding’ was not used anywhere in the application or supporting document.”

The Campaign to Protect Rural England has also objected to the removal of the condition and have called for immediate planning enforcement on the site.

The plans are support of Whitbourne parish council.

The county council’s planning committee is expected to consider the proposals in the next few weeks.