Warnes Plants to build café in grounds of garden centre near Helston

Colin Warne, owner of Warnes Plants, applied to build a café in the grounds of his garden centre near Helston, Skewes Nursey, to provide indoor sales, refreshments, and toilets for customers on Facebook.

It also included improvements to the parking facilities with provision of cycle parking, electric charging, and disability spaces.

How the outside seating area will look (Image: Skewes Nursery)

On Friday he was given official confirmation that the application had been given the go-ahead and he said the response to the news by future customers had been “unbelievable”.

Mr Warne told the Packet they’d been a couple of bumps in the road but work should start within the next couple of weeks.

“Everything’s gone so smoothly” he said. “We haven’t really had any objections from anybody.

"When I put the news on the Facebook page I received over 500 'likes', absolutely dozens and dozens of comments - it was just unbelievable from loyal customers and waiting.”

He said he is now going to put out a questionnaire to get feedback on what people would like to see on the menu and give them the chance to sign up to the loyalty scheme, as well as provide any comments they may have.

"It’s all about pleasing our customers,” added Mr Warne. “I’m delighted with the outcome.”

Warnes Plants at Skewes Nursery is a well-established local business located approximately 2km outside Praze-an-Beeble on the B3303 between Camborne and Helston.

The proposed building (blue arrow) and the entrance to re-located carpark (orange arrow) which would be located (Image: Skewes Nursery)

Mr Warne started there after his business partner and driving force behind the garden centre, Kevin Yeomans, suggested the overgrown poly tunnels there would make an ideal site for a garden centre.

The existing business currently employs nine staff including two part time. Leading from this proposal there will be an increase to 25 members of staff.

The cafe will employ up to 25 staff (Image: Warnes Plants)

The proposed design of the building is formed from a standard steel frame agricultural style, and will be timber clad, with a grey profile steel roof, measuring 21m by 7m, and 3.8m high.

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In total, the proposal will provide at least 12 cycle spaces, five electric charging spaces, three accessible spaces, and 32 car spaces.

A large portion of the site will be dedicated green space serving as habitats for local flora and fauna.

As well as the garden centre, Mr Warne also, a landscaping business called K C Warne Services Ltd and a kiln dried firewood company called Arbor Firewood.