Devon Vineyard ‘Gypsy Wagon’ vacation rental plan unveiled
Plans to install a wheeled trailer for seasonal rental or labor to help operate a vineyard have been unveiled.
The Vineyard project, off Knapps Lane, Harpford, near Sidmouth, would see the wagon / lumberjack hut serving as a dual-use business.
Run by Richard Hedger, the vineyard has just started producing a crop, and therefore the wheeled trailer would allow temporary accommodation when additional labor is needed for the vineyard and can be hired out to vacationers to generate revenue. income to finance the business.
A statement accompanying the nomination, submitted to East Devon District Council this week, states: Viticulture and its practical application. The hut will also provide the residential element for security purposes, especially when the crop reaches the crop.
“We hope that the scale of the accommodation being small and the visual appearance of the hut which is well suited to a rural location would meet the criteria, and in the unlikely event that the business fails for some reason, the hut can be removed without leaving a permanent building. “
Renting the wagon would earn the company around £ 500, the statement said, enough to create part-time work one day a week.
The statement added that the vineyard is currently producing around 1,500 bottles of wine from the current harvest, but it is hoped that this will increase to around 7,500 bottles.
He adds: “The vineyard is still small and young and has just started producing a harvest. In order for the vineyard project to become a sustainable business, it will require planting a lot more vines and a lot more funding and manpower than the client alone can provide.
“Relying solely on the annual harvest to provide enough to justify a dwelling of any decent size is not a business model that is likely to be successful in the early years when vineyard expansion takes place. Nonetheless, for the project to continue to develop, additional labor for both planting and harvesting will be increasingly required, some of which from a safety point of view must be residential.
“It is proposed to install a wheeled logging hut / gyspy cart which, as a dual purpose business, could provide temporary accommodation when additional labor is needed for the vineyard and may be required. leased to vacationers to generate income to finance the project. “
East Devon District Council planners will determine the fate of the request at a later date.