A borough plant nursery has published plans for its £5 million renovation.
The owners of Hare Hatch Sheeplands are hoping to secure a change of use for their business from plant nursery to garden centre.
This would mean they could then “compete on a level playing field” with Dobbies and The Berkshire Gardener on the Bath Road, said owner Rob Scott.
This would include diversifying the range of products for sale.
He hopes to secure approval for a £5 million renovation, which would upgrade the facilities while continuing the centre’s community ethos.
Operations director Andy Dicks said he wants the site to be a place for everyone.
“We will continue to serve the local community and be a meeting place for dozens of clubs,” he said. “We are not changing that ethos.
“But we need to move with the times and modernise.”
The plans include the current plant nursery being knocked down and replaced with a modern building with an outdoor display area.
The farm shop would remain, and the cafe relocated to a different section of the building.
“Our farm shop is 36 years old,” Mr Dicks said. “It’s as local as you can get. We can tell you where everything came from.”
Outside, the duo hope to include a play area, which backs onto a field for recreational use. This would replace existing glass houses.
They also hope to plant a woodland at the north of the site, alongside the Bath Road. This would mostly consist of purple-flowering Paulownia trees, which research has shown can capture 10 times more carbon than some other tree species.
Also included in the plans are allotments, which could be used by nearby schools or community groups. These will replace current glass houses that are in a poor state of repair, Mr Scott said.
The aim is that some of the produce grown on site will be used in the cafe.
Hare Hatch Sheeplands is running a public consultation on its plans from today until Sunday.
The three-day event will showcase the visual plans in the current cafe, with questionnaires for visitors to complete.
And the team will be on hand to discuss the proposals.
Mr Scott said: “We are planning some exciting improvements to our much-loved local farm shop, garden shop and cafe.
“We would like to invite our customers and the local community to let us know what they think about these proposals.”
The proposals and questionnaire are also available at: www.harehatchsheeplands.co.uk
