A SUCCESSFUL Dorset winery has submitted plans to expand facilities for staff and visitors.

The Langham Wine Estate, at Crawthorne Farm, Jock’s Hill, in Crawthorne, has applied to Dorset Council for permission to demolish a number of buildings and build a new, two-storey structure.

The new building would contain offices, amenity space for staff and toilets for visitors.
It comes as the winery, founded in 2009, continues to expand, now covering some 85 acres.

In 2020, Langham Wine Estate was named Sparkling Wine Producer of the Year by the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC), the application said, with an expansion of 55 acres in 2022 a ‘significant investment and requires further staff and employment to hand pick the grapes for wine making’.

“While the planting of these vines was in May 2022, the first harvest is expected in 2024, with wine on sale in 2026,” it said.

“The proposed building is therefore critical to this planned expansion.

“The proposed building will allow additional business space for welfare of these additional staff, to allow the business to successfully employ the additional workers, to allow the business to remain successful.

“The nature of the business also attracts a number of public visitors, who like to sample produce and walk the vineyard. The proposed building will include visitor toilets for improved convenience.”

How the new building could look

The application said the new building had been designed to ‘ensure minimal intervention’.

“The existing farm buildings include some older masonry structures, but mostly of steel frame and clad construction,” it added.

“The proposed structure will be steel frame with black, insulated, cladding profiles. The form and colour is chosen to have a rural identity and appear less stark within the landscape, while also using the dark and strong company identity of Langham Wine Estate.

“The building will make use of existing access, without further need for any additional work to the landscape.”

Members of the public can comment on the application until July 19. For more details, and to submit comments, log on to www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk and search for application reference P/FUL/2023/03221.