A BEE-KEEPING training centre has won approval for a farm site in Shillingstone.

It will use a paddock previously used for cattle grazing at Holloway Farm, Holloway Lane for around a dozen hives with a new single storey building for a training unit. The site will also have parking for 20 cars.

The application to set up the unit came from the North Dorset Beekeeping Association and has been supported by Shillingstone Parish Council which says in its response to the Dorset Council consultation: “The building is well designed and eco-friendly. This will be a valuable community asset when completed and will be an important step towards the improvement of this neglected part of the village.”

A Dorset Council planning report on the application said that keeping bees on the site would help enhance biodiversity locally and said the educational opportunities would encourage and develop beekeeping skills across a wider area.

“The site is on the opposite side of the lane from the main farmstead of Holloway Farm. The proposed single storey building and associated infrastructure would be seen in the context of the proposal and is not considered to result in any significant harm to the landscape character of the rural area.”