A POPULAR business in Herefordshire is trying to bounce back from a huge downturn in trade as it looks to build new facilities – and it has support.
Longtown Outdoor Learning Centre, nestled away in the Golden Valley, has applied for planning permission from Herefordshire Council for a new dining room, kitchen, staff bedroom, office, store, plant room, toilets and shower rooms.
Tomkins Thomas Planning said the Wilson Foundation wants to expand the site by creating a modern, attractive facility that is sympathetic to the surrounding landscape and heritage.
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It is hoped that the facility will yield substantial benefits for the centre’s resident and non-resident guests and will provide enhanced facilities for the local community, with customers and local voicing their support for the scheme.
Consultants said that given the "devastating effects" of Covid-19 on the business, which led to takings being 70 per cent down in 2020 compared to 2019, it is hoped that the facility will also enable the Longtown Outdoor Learning Trust to continue to drive recovery through business growth, creating employment and increasing visitor spend in the local community.
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The centre, opened in 1964, offers archery, rock climbing, kayaking, paddle boarding and raft building to help children grow.
It also offers off-site activities including caving, hill walking, rock climbing and gorge walking which take place in the nearby Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains.
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The new building, if approved, will be a single-storey vernacular barn with a lean-to. Its main use will be to accommodate between 80 and 100 diners at once, meaning multiple sittings will no longer be required.
Consultants feel this will make the attraction more appealing to school groups.
It will have red sandstone and clad walls, a slate-tile roof with slate-effect solar panels and powder-coated aluminium windows, the application said.
Among several letters of support for the scheme, Helen Arthur, of Longtown, said the centre is vital to the small, rural economy and offers fantastic education opportunities.
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Kane Morrison, of Holme Lacy, near Hereford, said she had attended the centre several time and had a fantastic time.
But she said facilities did need to improve, and the plans would have a positive impact on children from around the county.
Vicky Orsmond, of Abergavenny, said that the expanded space would be invaluable for the centre, which is now more important than ever after the Covid pandemic to give children togetherness, outdoor living and confidence building.
Consultation on application 223349 is open until November 24, with planners setting November 30 as a target date for a decision.
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