A POPULAR tearoom hopes to produce its own wine if plans are approved for a new vineyard in the district.
Plans have been submitted by the owners of Mrs Salisburys for the site on Station Road in Wickham Bishops.
Two acres of land could be used as a vineyard to produce wine to be sold across its sites in Maldon.
Mrs Salisburys has a tearoom Maldon High Street and a new tearoom at The Street in Wickham Bishops, as well as a kiosk in Maldon's Promenade Park.
The plans include a single-storey agricultural barn to be used as a workshop and to store a tractor and viticultural equipment.
The building will be finished in black timber weatherboarding and will have a corrugated dark grey metal roof.
The applicants hope to be able to successfully grow grapes to support the wine growing market in East Anglia.
The plans state: “Recent years have seen a proliferation of vineyards in East Anglia with the area being seen as one of up and coming grape growing areas in Europe.
“This site is perfectly placed to add to this trend which provides a sustainable use of land that was previously used for livestock.”
Mark Salisbury said: “We live in Wickham Bishops and were building a new house here.
“The house comes with a large plot and we don’t really want it as a garden.
“Me and Andrea had the idea to create a boutique vineyard on the site.
“We want to protect our view of the countryside and we thought how cool would it be to look across vineyards.
“It could produce 5,000 bottles of wine a year in partnership with another local vineyard.
READ MORE>>> IN PICTURES: Popular tea rooms moves into bigger space after lockdown
“We’re in the right region, we’re in a slopey site and experts have said it’s a good place to do it.
He added: “If approved, we will plant in March 2024, so 2027 will be our first year of harvest.
“The grapes would be transported to Purleigh Vineyards for processing.
“We are hoping for a positive outcome so we can get started.”
Maldon District Council will rule on the plans.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here