Business centre plan to help the disabled

Permission has been granted to the Sellers family at their farmstead in Shipton by Beningbrough, near York, to build a 6,889 sq ft business centre to include five workshops and a micro brewery.

The development, which is on the site of a former agricultural building used to house pigs, is the brainchild of Martin Sellers, whose 19-year-old daughter, Ruth, has quadriplegic cerebral palsy and epilepsy, which means that she has to use a wheelchair.

Mr Sellers is hoping to attract businesses which could provide employment or training opportunities for local young disabled people, like Ruth, once they finish their formal education.

The workshop units will range in size from 280 sq ft to 570 sq ft while the micro brewery will include a brew house, cold room, fermentation room, office and storage space.

Treboom Brewery will be run by husband and wife team John Lewis and Jane Blackman and will produce 10-20 barrels per week, increasing to a maximum of 50 within five years.

Initially, the brewery will create two full-time positions, with the prospect of doubling employment once the facility is up to capacity.

The couple decided to embark on the new venture after being keen amateur brewers for a number of years. Mr Lewis is a cancer research scientist at York University while Ms Blackman is an artist/potter.

They previously brewed as a hobby but Mr Lewis said they decided to establish their own business to spend more time together

Treboom Brewery, which will cost £100,000 to set up, has secured support from Yorkshire Forward’s Rural Development Programme for England, which is jointly funded by Defra and the European Union.

Yorkshire’s thriving food and drink sector has been a priority sector for the grant funding programme in the past.

The development is set to start this summer and be completed by the end of the year.

Mr Sellers said: “We have already had interest from a number of organisations and individuals for the business units and plans are in place for the micro brewery to begin operation straight away.

“We’re thrilled that the team at Carter Jonas were able to secure planning permission for this development as it’s a project that’s close to our hearts and will provide real opportunities for Ruth and others like her.”

Property consultancy Carter Jonas, which helped to secure planning permission for the project, has worked with Mr Sellers for the last seven years on a number of developments.

In 2006, it helped Mr Sellers to gain planning permission to develop part of the farmstead and build supported living accommodation for his daughter.

It is hoped that the accommodation will eventually be occupied by other young adults with disabilities.

In addition, the family has converted the other remaining traditional agricultural buildings on the farm, providing rented houses as part of the diversification of its farm business.

David Boulton, partner in Carter Jonas’ planning department, said: “Mr Sellers has converted his farm as a matter of need. Everything is geared towards his daughter.”

The latest project has taken several years to come to fruition. The buildings were originally deemed to be outside the village, and, therefore, the development, boundary, but Carter Jonas persevered to obtain planning permission for Mr Sellers.

Mr Boulton added: “This project is an ideal opportunity to convert and replace disused farm buildings into useful facilities for the community which will not only bring employment to the area, but will also provide valuable training opportunities for young disabled people.

“It has been a pleasure to support this worthwhile development and to continue our long-standing relationship with the Sellers family.”

Beating the drum for a brewery

TREBOOM Brewery is the idea of husband and wife team John Lewis and Jane Blackman who decided to launch on a business venture to spend more time together.

The brewery, which will cost £100,000 to set up, is expected to open towards the end of the year in Shipton by Beningbrough, near York.

Mr Lewis, a research scientist at York University, said: “I like the idea of making food and drink that people will enjoy.”

The name of the brewery comes from the sound of a drumroll.

“We went though a whole load of names but there was always some reason they were wrong,” said Mr Lewis. “Treboom is the sound of a drumroll, it’s like the ‘ta-da’ moment.”