Chosley: Farm shop and cafe proposed for quarry site barns

Grundon Sand & Gravel Ltd has been extracting gravel from the New Barn Farm Quarry, south of the Wallingford bypass between Wallingford and Cholsey, since 2019.

A planning application has been submitted by the company for a collection of barns and buildings on farmlands nearby, Christie’s Farm, which are also owned by Grundon.

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It proposes the change of use and restoration of the buildings to create a farm shop, a cafe and restaurant, and artisan workspace and a space for the display and sale of artisan products.

The stables at Christie’s Farm in Chosley (Image: Capreolus Ltd / Grundon)

The buildings include a grade II listed Threshing Barn dating to the 18th century, as well as a stables, an Atcost partially open-sided barn built in the 1960s, and the “derelict remains” of a former Cow Shed.

As the oldest and largest of the buildings, the scheme proposes conserving the Threshing Barn and transforming it into a farm shop, restaurant and cafe/coffee shop.

The timber frame of the building would be repaired and reclad, it would be divided internally with glass partitions, and the entrances would have new glass doors and entrance screens set behind timber doors replacing and matching the originals, kept permanently open.

Inside the ‘derelict’ grade II listed Threshing Barn on the site (Image: Capreolus Ltd / Grundon)

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Lean-to structures at either end of the listed barn would be rebuilt with new insulation and glass screens and doors to the courtyards, with one end used as a cafe with outdoor seating and the other as a kitchen pass area, connected to the main barn with a glass corridor.

The Atcost Barn would become an artisan workshop with a new mezzanine space, and the stables converted into the site’s service building with an office, public toilets and storage.

Atcost barn at Christie’s Farm in Cholsey (Image: Capreolus Ltd / Grundon)

Replacement buildings housing kitchens, a staff room and toilets would be built instead of the sheds between the stables and Threshing Barn which are “on the point of collapse”, and the Cow Shed would likewise be replaced.

The applicant said: “The proposed restoration and adaptive reuse of the agricultural buildings at Christie’s Farm represent a rare convergence of public, heritage, and economic value.

A lean-to on the site, set to be replaced with a new building (Image: Capreolus Ltd / Grundon)

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“By breathing new life into the Grade II listed Threshing Barn, conserving the Stables, and sensitively integrating new structures, the scheme addresses longstanding concerns over disuse and poor repair while offering accessible, sustainable, and culturally enriching facilities for the wider community.”

The company added that the conservation-led proposal constitutes a ‘minor amendment’ to the restoration plan for New Barn Farm Quarry, which is set to be returned to agricultural land at the end of the quarry extraction scheme.

The application is open for consultation on the South Oxfordshire District Council website until May 7.