A new farm shop, cafe and business and community hub are to be built in East Bergholt after developers were granted planning permission.

Towns Green Farm submitted plans for land at Grassroots and Wellyboots Farm in Park Road, East End, on July 14.

The plans were approved by Babergh District Council on Friday, October 9.

The farm shop and cafe will be housed in two adjacent buildings, with two small offices and a community suite nearby.

The office space has been designed for work in a Covid world, with the idea that home workers could hire it short-term for professional meetings and other engagements.

The community space is intended for regular use by larger groups doing exercise classes, children’s clubs, community meetings or activities.

The farm shop aims to sell local produce and provide residents with much-needed shops, as currently the closest are in Brantham.

The proposed opening hours for the farm shop and cafe are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday.

On Sundays, the shop will be open 10am to 4pm and the cafe 9am to 4pm.

The buildings are designed to be single storey, with black painted timber cladding and red brick accents.

As the site is situated near Grange caravan park, the Royal Oak pub and other amenities, the developers hope to encourage cycling and walking in the area via footpaths – but will also provide 44 parking spaces and two electric car charging points.

East Bergholt Parish Council, though in favour of the application, did express concerns about the additional traffic the development will attract and the safety of the road network for horse riders.

Town Green Farm argued the development was aimed at encouraging travel on foot and by bike, instead of vehicles, and that the road has sufficient capacity to cater for an increase in traffic.

The developers say this “significant investment in the local economy” will help support the “vitality of the core village”.

A huge number of people living in the area commented in favour of the application, with many welcoming the idea of a new shop and community areas.

There was particular interest in the fact it would be accessible on foot and by bicycles.