Local firm to build agricultural centre in Harrogate

10:40am Friday 16th May 2008

WORK on a new £5.1m regional agricultural centre for the North will begin next month.

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society announced that local contractors Houseman & Falshaw will build the development on the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate.

The development will create 35 jobs and includes a suite of offices, cafe and shop, which will promote and sell regional produce.

The YAS is the first agricultural society in the UK to develop such an initiative.

Heather Parry, deputy chief executive, said Houseman & Falshaw's tender showed "a real commitment to create a topquality building, which is architecturally innovative and environmentally cutting edge".

Stuart Falshaw, managing director of the company, described the project as a "fascinating and complex development" with a variety of special features to make it sustainable and to minimise impact on the environment.

Work is expected to last 11 months, but will not affect the Great Yorkshire or Countryside Live.

Over the last decade the society has spent more than £12m upgrading the 250-acre site, which holds a wide range of events - from the Yorkshire International Business Convention to private weddings.

The society's office staff will relocate to the new building, along with other not-for-profit rural organisations.

The shop will promote locallysourced food as a priority and the cafe will be designed to allow cookery demonstrations and food launches to be staged.

The society already contributes around £37m to the region each year and all profits made from the shop and cafe will be ploughed back into supporting agriculture in the region.

Miss Parry said: "Our vision is to be the focus for farming and the countryside in this region year round, whether that is providing a venue for the launch of a new Yorkshire cheese, giving local producers a platform for their produce, hosting cookery demonstrations, educating customers on how the food they eat is produced, or supporting rural businesses by providing office accommodation."

YAS also plans to promote other farm shops in the region, perhaps through a map showing where they are located and encouraging people to visit and buy from them.

The building has been designed by P+HS Architects which has offices in Stokesley and Leeds.

The building will be timber framed, rainwater will be harvested, a ground source pump will heat the building, and solar thermal roof panels will provide some of the hot water.

The farm shop and cafe will have a "green" sedum roof and a dry stone outer wall. Sheep's wool will be used as insulation in the offices.