The team behind a Lake District Michelin starred restaurant are set to join forces with a farm to create a new fine dining experience.
Grove Farm Partnerships wants to convert a former barn, previously used as a walkers’ cafe, in Ambleside, into a restaurant.
It has asked the Lake District National Park Authority if it can go ahead with its plans at Grove Farm, off Stockghyll Lane.
Planning documents said the group has sought to enter into a partnership with Ryan Blackburn and his business partners, who own and run The Old Stamp House and Kysty in Ambleside.
Grove Farm Partnerships said: “The intention of the Grove Barn Partnership is to work with Ryan and family to bring a fine dining experience to the Barn at Grove Farm showcasing local ingredients and Cumbrian cuisine against the backdrop of the Stockghyll valley landscape.
“The restaurant will use the existing barn in its current layout and will operate as an extension to and complement the existing business in Ambleside.”
It said the previous use of the barn as a café proved to be unsustainable as a business despite significant investment, commitment from the team’s on-site manager and a good deal of local support.
It added: “Further to the closure of the walkers café/shop and restaurant, it is essential for the applicant’s tourism business that the site is brought into an alternative and suitable operation to serve its tourism business.
“Not only is it essential for the applicant’s business but to the future of the barn which has been restored at a significant cost to the business.”
