A BEEKEEPING farm on Goosebrook Lane in Antrobus has been granted planning permission to expand its operations.

Cheshire West and Chester Council planners have approved a planning application to construct a ‘new building required to meet the ancillary needs of the beekeeping and honey extraction activities at the site’.

It will house apiary extraction and maintenance equipment, a cleaning space, and hives when they are not in use — all of which are currently kept in applicant Mrs J Young’s garage at her home across the road.

In a design and access statement to council planners, agent JT Design Consultancy wrote: “Upon the land are six beehives and four nucleus beehives, with a further five beehives and four nucleus beehives on the [other] Lymm site. Between the two sites, approximately 250,000 European Honey Bees are present in the hives at anyone time in the peak summer months, producing in a typical year approximately 250kg of honey.

“The yield at the site would easily enable activities to operate on a commercially viable basis but the applicant elects not to do so. In contrast, approximately 85 per cent of the yield (beyond the applicant’s own domestic uses) is donated to local schools and charities, as well as neighbours, friends and family.

“Occasionally the applicant will sell a small quantity of the honey in years where the yield is particularly high, beyond what even philanthropic interests can consume.”

Plans show the new building would look similar to ‘domestic stables’, with access to the site unchanged.

No objections were received from nearby residents or Antrobus Parish Council.