Plans submitted for Windermere rural enterprise hub
Matson Ground Estate Company has filed proposals to turn redundant farm buildings into flexible workspace, wellness facilities and two padel courts as it looks to diversify income at Home Farm.
MGEC, which is working with architectural and planning advisor Rural Solutions, said the farm diversification project will support the future of farming, create year-round local employment and strengthen the estate’s long-term organic stewardship of the land.
The estate proposes a range of flexible workspaces, wellness facilities, offices and two indoor padel courts, whilst providing new, fit-for-purpose agricultural buildings to support the continuing farming operation.
Plans have now been lodged with Lake District National Park Authority.
The proposals centre on the redevelopment of a farmyard that is no longer suitable for the farm’s current operations. As farming practices have evolved, the estate has moved away from winter-housed cattle, meaning several existing buildings have become too large or surplus to operational requirements.
Reinvestment, allowing the operation to continue as a working farm, is the key: projects already undertaken include wetland creation, wood pasture schemes, organic farming, biodiversity enhancement and supporting skilled rural employment.
Madeleine Scott, director of Matson Ground Estate Co, said: “Our aim is to give new life to redundant farm buildings, supporting farming, local jobs, wellness and our continued stewardship of the land. As with everything we do here at Matson Ground, this is a carefully thought through decision.”
Advisor Rural Solutions is working with the estate. Credit: MGEC
Fellow director Alex Scott added: “Farming remains at the heart of what we do, but like many rural businesses we have to adapt to ensure the Estate remains sustainable for future generations.
“By bringing these surplus buildings back into productive use, we can continue investing in agriculture, caring for the landscape, creating skilled local employment and supporting the communities that make this part of Cumbria so special.”
Matson Ground Farm has been run organically since 2000 with sustainable principles at its core. Managed by Matson Ground Estate Company for more than 100 years, the organisation look after 1,359 acres of farmland and woodland surrounding Windermere and 370 acres at Braesteads Farm, near Patterdale.
The farm is an upland pasture-based system, which means livestock graze outside all year round, where possible. Stocking numbers are at a level that allows flora and fauna to thrive, whilst producing a sustainable red meat product from the sheep and cattle.
With the support of Natural England, a recent wood-pasture creation scheme on School Knott and Grandsire has planted thousands of trees.
