A new “centre for motoring excellence” could soon be created near one of Somerset’s biggest tourist attractions.
Chris Haynes from the Haynes Group Ltd. has applied to revamp the Dairy House Yard business park on the A359 Cary Road in Sparkford, next door to the Haynes Motor Museum.
The remodelled site will provide office and storage space which will “support and enhance the activities of the museum” as way as supporting the future of the Haynes publishing brand.
South Somerset District Council is expected to make a decision on the plans before Christmas.
The site lies to the east of the current museum car park and South West Karting track, and is the home of the constituency office of David Warburton (the MP for Somerton and Frome), as well as a small office for Haynes Developments Ltd.
A number of retail businesses were originally based on the site, but these either closed or relocated as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the proposals, the existing units will be remodelled to provide “high-end classic car storage”, offices, meeting rooms, retail space and a café, with up to 60 jobs being created.
A spokesman for Ercle (representing the applicant) said: “The western zone is the ‘clean’ side, with a mixture of retail and office use all associated with auto-mobiles.
“The focal point is a central multi-use building which can be used for exhibitions, car launches etc.
“The eastern element of the site will provide for workshops for specialist car-related industries.
“The grouping of the car-related specialists allows for a specific knowledge base and cross-pollination of ideas between users. It is exactly this type of environment that leads to innovation and technical advances in industry.
“When this site is further considered in the context of the Haynes Motor Museum, it is clear to see that this space could quickly become a regional centre of excellence.
“The existing space used by Haynes Group Ltd. is no longer suitable for their changing needs, and they have identified the value of reinforcing their relationship with the museum with a proposed relocation, rather than leave the area.”
Any new buildings being delivered on the site within the plans will be of a high energy efficiency, with the applicant also promising to increase the biodiversity of the site by removing the hard cap on the land.
Sparkford is currently the scene of a major infrastructure upgrade, with National Highways working to dual the A303 between the Sparkford and Podimore roundabouts by early-2024.
The village is also expected to grow in the coming years, with Lovell Homes and LiveWest delivering the Cherry Pie Meadow development of 36 homes on Cherry Pie Lane and a decision currently pending on plans for a further 45 homes and a 60-bed care home on High Street.
The council is expecting to make a decision on the Haynes proposals before the end of the year.
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