Stockton farm has turned into popular wedding venue

The proposal to change the use of Elton Moor Farm off Darlington Back Lane, Whinney Hill, Stockton, from agriculture to a wedding venue for up to about 100 guests has been submitted to Stockton Council.

The plan is retrospective as the site and buildings have already been used for weddings, with work completed in April 2023 according to the application.

Senior planner Josh Woollard, from agent Lichfields, says in a letter to the council: “Elton Moor Farm is a working farm, a family-run operation intended to be operated as such for the foreseeable.

However, the position of agriculture within the wider economy is changing and rising costs associated with the running of a farm, along with falling costs of imported goods, have resulted in farms across the country facing significant viability challenges.”

Referring to other factors including the weather and fluctuating income, he wrote: “In recognition of these challenges and the desire to maintain the operation of the working farm, the client has explored alternative sources of income alongside the existing clay pigeon shooting business.

“Taking advantage of the attractive setting where the site sits, a wedding venue has been identified as a new source of income and is proving to be a successful venture.

“The venue is popular and provides a range of wider benefits, including attracting ‘tourists’ to the borough who may stay at hotels and nearby accommodation, including Gooseberry Cottage to the north, and supporting wider local businesses, including catering, florists, photographers, and local people employed by the venue.”

He said the proposed change of use would not harm the views or surroundings: “No external alterations are proposed to necessitate the change of use to a wedding venue.

“Temporary furniture and miscellaneous items would be erected in conjunction with weddings, but these will be removed after the ceremony.”

He added a traffic count at four weddings with around 60 guests each hosted by the venue showed “the number of trips to and from the site is small compared to the number of guests… As such, it is considered that the access onto the private road via Darlington Back Lane is sufficient to manage the number of trips and passing places along the private road allow for the movement of traffic”.

He said a noise assessment was carried out during a wedding celebration with over 80 guests, with bi-fold doors opening on to an outdoor patio, adding: “It was concluded that at the boundary of the site, there was no audible entertainment noise and therefore the closest dwellings experienced acceptable noise levels.

“In granting planning permission for the proposed change of use, it would enable the wider family-run farming business to be more resilient and ensure the long-term viability of the farm for coming generations… The proposal is not unique and follows a clear trend across the country whereby farms are diversifying in light of changing macro and microeconomic trends.”