Plans for an apple orchard and artisan cider mill in a Cumbrian town have been revealed.
The facility, in Sedbergh, would create alcohol marketed as Sedbergh Cider and would aim to raise the profile of the town in the same vein as Sedbergh Gin, produced by The Dalesman Country Inn.
An outline planning application has been submitted to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority for the land off Joss Lane. The application says the land was no longer used for farming due to its location, size and shape. Sarah Singleton bought the plot in 2020.
The apple orchard would be planted on a patch of land of 3,800 sq metres. The design and access statement suggests 100 trees could be planted with a spacing of 4m to 5m.
The statement says the trees would be organised into groups of the same variety and would include types known to grow well in Cumbria, such as Scotch Bridget and Belle de Boskoop.
A currently unused garage and repair workshop on the site would be used for the cider mill and one-bed manager’s live-work unit.
The apple orchard and cider mill would have on-site parking. A length of track serving the proposed development would be surfaced with tarmacadam as extensions of Joss Lane.
The enterprise would require one additional member of staff besides the manager.
“Deliveries of the cider to local hotels and public houses would require a space for a small/medium electric van,” says the design and access statement.
“Possibly up to four volunteers for harvesting would be used in October-November time.
“It is envisaged that such volunteers would arrange to come by bike or foot or be transported by one vehicle.”
Allowing two spaces for the manager’s accommodation, six parking spaces are proposed, including provision for visitors.
The design and access statement says the plan would improve biodiversity via the installation of nesting boxes or bat boxes.
