Adventure farm wins bid to extend opening hours

The owners of a farm attraction have been successful in applying for an extension to their opening hours, which it is claimed will help them put on more events.

The Colliers Adventure Farm, in Nelson, opened in the spring of 2023 and has “quickly grown a reputation as a significant day visitor attraction”, said planning agent Robert Hathaway, of Plan R Ltd.

He said events held there in the past year have “taken place without any adverse impacts on the amenity of neighbouring properties or the local area”.

‘Well managed’

The farm is “well managed and set away from immediate residential properties”, Mr Hathaway added in a statement to Caerphilly County Borough Council.

He said extending the opening hours would help “cover special events such as pumpkins and fireworks and Christmas events”.

At a meeting of the council’s planning committee, on Wednesday November 13, case officer Anthony Pyne said the owners had requested their opening hours be increased to 6pm to 8.30pm Mondays to Saturdays, and 5pm to 6pm on Sundays and bank holidays.

This would represent an extra 30 minutes that the business could open between Monday and Saturday, he explained.

Trialled

Mr Pyne said similar hours had been trialled by the council at the farm, and in his statement, Mr Hathaway said the trial period had “elapsed without any problems at all”.

The application to increase the opening hours had not drawn any objections and did not pose an “unacceptable impact in terms of residents”, Mr Pyne added.

The committee voted unanimously in favour of granting the extension.