A THRIVING alpaca farm in Thelwall is set for expansion.

Woodland Alpaca Farm on Stockport road already runs as a small business.

Now organisers want to develop the farm further with a 24 unit agricultural field shelter, associated car parking and alpaca trail walks from nearby land on Lymm Road.

The application submitted to Warrington Borough Council also seeks permission for limited numbers of pre-booked (paying) visitors to access the site to assist with exercising the animals on-site (alpaca trails).

To date, the farm’s income has predominantly come from alpaca trekking (guided walks), weddings, events, sale of animal produce (sheering and sale of their wool, chicken and geese eggs), natural spring water (sourced from the farm’s onsite 60 metre-deep well) and kiln-dried firewood from across the estate.

The document states "There has been an ambition for some time to develop the farm as a specialist alpaca birthing and nursery facility, requiring 24 hour on-site care and supervision.

"The farm hopes to increase its income through stud breeding and the rearing and sale of alpacas.

"This ‘working farm’ element will take place from the Stockport Road site.

"The sites are connected both by the public highway, but also via the Trans-Pennine Trail, offering an off-road walking route between the two sites.

"The current application seeks to establish the site at Lymm Road as the base for this herd segregation, away from the birthing facility."

The current site at Stockport Road can only accommodate up to six guests per hour which translates in the business having to turn down more over 50 per cent of the customers due to the lack of facilities and space.

Between May to October, Woodland Alpaca Farm had 476 direct bookings for on site alpaca walks, educational visits and disability visits, as well as a number of off-site weddings and care home functions.

The document added "The Lymm Road site offers greater opportunities than Stockport Road for on-site alpaca trails with members of the public (when the animals are old enough) by virtue of its larger

size.

"There is therefore a strong justification for the off-site proposed development to enable expansion of this rural enterprise."

You can see the scheme in full at warrington.gov.uk by searching for 2021 40665.