Old farm buildings form part of new development
16:01:20 4th January 2010
Derelict farm buildings in rural Northumberland are to be incorporated into a new leisure and holiday centre.
The buildings will be transformed into a shop and café, after the farm received over £180,000 through One North East's Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE).
The new shop is set to open by Easter this year, which will be followed by the transformation of additional abandoned farm buildings into holiday let homes.
One North East's RDPE manager Adrian Sherwood said the programme sought to encourage farm diversification for "direct and far-reaching benefits".
"The shop will stock local products that not only guarantee traceability and high quality but seasonal products involve no air miles and offer good value for money to the local economy," she said.
The RDPE is jointly funded by the European Union and the government, and the current 2007-2013 programme has a budget of £3.9 billion. Agri-environment schemes will be allocated £3.3 billion of the total budget, and around £600 million will be directed at agriculture and forestry.
Written by Robin Antill+
Started making garden sheds in 1979. so 31 years experience. Online since 1996. 1st in UK.
