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Greenmeadow Community Farm opening delayed by two years

BBC Greenmeadow Community FarmBBC
Greenmeadow Community Farm has been closed since October 2022

A council-owned community farm's full re-opening has been delayed by two years, putting nine jobs at risk.

Greenmeadow Community Farm in Cwmbran closed at the end of October 2022 so work on a £1.7 million overhaul could begin.

It was expected the revamp's first stage would be completed ahead of its re-opening this summer.

However, Torfaen council confirmed the full project will not be completed until spring 2025.

The council planned to create a children's indoor soft play area by this summer, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

However, the farm will now only partially re-open with visitors able to visit its outdoor areas again.

As a result of the delays the council, which had originally anticipated recruiting additional staff this summer, confirmed it is consulting with existing staff on making them redundant.

It comes after the farm got a cash injection of £255,000 in 2021, after a warning it could "wither on the vine and die".

A working farm for 250 years, it was saved by enthusiasts in the 1980s who feared it would be lost to development.

Beth McPhearson, Torfaen council's head of communities, said: "A consultation process has commenced with nine members of staff whose roles are at risk of redundancy.

Greenmeadow Community Farm
The council said while it is still intended for the farm to re-open in part this summer, no date has been set

"We are still planning a partial reopening this summer but an exact date is not yet confirmed. More information should be available beginning of May."

In October, it was anticipated the attraction would require a staff of 14.5 full-time equivalent posts, 5.75 of which would be new appointments.

The plan, backed by the full council in October, was to invest £1.7 million in the farm to enhance the 120-acre site as a visitor attraction with the addition of outdoor adventure activities including a zip-wire, indoor soft play area and licensed bar.

The farm would also see its council subsidy reduced, and eventually withdrawn, and become dependent instead on its own commercial income, with the goal of attracting more than 70,000 paying customers a year by 2026.