A long-established plant nursery has applied for planning permission to build a bakery and coffee shop on its premises in Guiseley.

Swincar Nurseries dates back 150 years and the business on Chevin End Road has been in the current owners’ family for six decades.

The proposals submitted to Leeds Council are for a single-storey timber-clad building on the site, which would house a bakery and coffee shop for visitors.

The land is classified as Green Belt, but the application prepared on behalf of nursery owners the Fisher family by ID Planning of Leeds says the plan should be approved as it is “well-designed and in keeping with the agricultural character and appearance of the wider site”.

The applications goes on to say: "The existing operation of the site as a plant nursery would be entirely unaltered and would be the primary use of the site with the proposed ancillary bakery/coffee shop serving for an existing demand by customers on site for refreshments whilst shopping.

“The proposed development would result in a modest addition within the pattern of existing buildings/greenhouses on site which is of a high-quality design that would not have a significant undue impact upon the character of the area and a minimal impact on the openness of the Green Belt.”

The site has already seen a number of developments including the establishment of the first wind turbine in Leeds.

There have also been four biomass boilers installed and an outdoor area has been redeveloped with a removable roof to protect plants from the elements.

The application says: “This proposed development forms the next project for the Fisher Family to diversify the business and provide a more suitable setting for the existing Choccy Pig Coffee Shop which currently operates across the site with baking being conducted in the Coach House and sales of coffee and cake to customers from a small shed within the site.”

The applicants say the current National Planning Policy Framework, which sets out the government’s planning policies in England, supports their bid to create the new facility.

They quote the Framework as saying: “The creation of high quality, beautiful and sustainable buildings and places is fundamental to what the planning and development process should achieve. Good design is a key aspect of sustainable development, creates better places in which to live and work and helps make development acceptable to communities.”

According to the application, the scale of the building would be “significantly smaller” than the surrounding greenhouses and would have a maximum height of 4.2m and 3m eaves.

Inside, the proposed building would have a kitchen/bakery with a serving counter, a small customer seating area and toilets and storerooms.

The building would not be visible from Chevin End Road or other highways and would therefore, say the applicants have a “negligible impact upon the street scene and wider area”.

The applicants say they understand that the site remains within dedicated Green Belt land and inappropriate development by definition is harmful to the openness of the Green Belt and should not be approved except in very special circumstances, according to planning regulations. Exceptions include “buildings for agriculture and forestry”.

The application says: “Whilst it is acknowledged that the proposed use is not agricultural on its own, it is however ancillary to the main function of the site as an agricultural plant nursery which could not be located elsewhere as the business model seeks to provide for an existing demand by customers of Swincar Nurseries.”