Expansion of wine business is approved in South Downs National Park
New accommodation to expand the visitor offer of a thriving wine business has been approved in the South Downs National Park.
Members of the National Park Authority’s Planning Committee voted to grant permission to plans for 10 additional units of overnight guest accommodation at Rathfinny Wine Estate, near Alfriston, East Sussex.
The approval is subject to the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement.
The plans include internal and external alterations to an existing flint barn, provide four overnight accomodation units within a new stable building, as well as six additional overnight accomodation cabins in the former chalk quarry of the Estate.
The entire complex is to be served by a new biomass boiler, housed in a new building.
A rectangular stretch of land to the northwest of the complex will be dedicated to nature restoration as Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG).
The application site forms part of the Rathfinny Wine Estate, which has evolved from a predominantly arable agricultural enterprise to a grower-producer of sparkling wine underpinned by a leisure and tourism offering.
The estate totals 243 hectares, almost entirely on south-facing gentle slopes, and 93 hectares of the estate are currently planted with grape vines.
Through positive and early engagement with the National Park Authority, the proposals have been developed to ensure they are landscape-led and closely linked to the existing tourism offer and wider enterprise.
Tim Slaney, Director of Placemaking for the National Park Authority, said: “We’re pleased to give the go-ahead to these plans, which support the growth of the rural economy, provide further local employment and provide opportunities to connect with the wider landscape.
“Farm diversification is a very important pillar of the South Downs economy and we’re pleased to support high-quality projects that are landscape-led and offer benefits for nature and people.
“The viticulture business continues to grow in the South Downs, putting the National Park on the global map as England’s premier winemaking region.”
(Photos courtesy of RX Architects)