Mixed use scheme for the Wasing Estate

Plans have been submitted for the development of Shalford Farm on the Wasing Estate between Newbury and Reading.

A planning application to West Berkshire Council from trustees of the Wasing 1975 Settlement, seeks to support the farm as a wedding venue with a mixed-use development of diverse new features by converting existing buildings and adding new ones.

The application is to:

Convert the main barn building into a restaurant and bar
Replace garages with a two-storey restaurant kitchen and plant room
Converting piggeries on the site to eight overnight guest rooms
Converting an old dairy to a bakery and cookery school
Replace a workshop building with a new Dutch barn to house a wedding shop, farm shop and yoga studio/events space

There are also plans for six further guest rooms and a building for a biomass boiler. There are currently 26 guest rooms.

The Wasing Estate is seeking to restore the estate as a whole and diversify the businesses it operates.

The planning statement by Pro Vision states: “The current owners of the estate want to progressively restore and regenerate the whole estate to maximise and enhance its sustainability and ensure the longevity and upkeep of its assets.”

Architect for the scheme is Childs Sulzmann.