A FORMER milking parlour in Purbeck is set to be turned into a community meeting space and a National Trust hub after plans were approved.

The National Trust has been given the green light by Dorset Council to convert the milking parlour at Weston Farm in Worth Matravers into a primary hub for admin staff consisting of an educational resource room, an office, a seminar room and caravan site amenities.

Accessible showers/ WCs, a changing place and laundry area will also be provided for use by campsite guests.

The Trust says the resource room will be a robust space with washable floors and big sinks, lending itself to community-based art and craft activities such as painting, photography, flower arranging, and a men’s shed.

A spokesperson said the new facility will not try and compete with the existing village hall but would serve to complement it, taking on “messier activities” if needed.

READ MORE: Football clubhouse, “not fit for purpose”, to be replaced with sports centre in Swanage

READ MORE: Comedian Andy Parsons to return to Swanage with new tour

The resource room would also act as a physical base for small group school visits to the site.

These groups include the Purbeck Goes Wild programme, which works with schools to support children and young people to be able to connect with and benefit from nature, and the charity My Time which could use the resource room as a location for nature and arts activities for young carers from across Dorset.

“This can be a space where they learn about food, farming, sustainability, ecology and the natural environment as part of a ‘countryside classroom’,” a spokesperson said.

The resource room will also be used by National Trust volunteers to record data and process samples, as well as being a base for occasional family volunteering or walking activities, a location for campsite users to participate in nature-based workshops and a meeting point for ranger-led walks.

As part of the plans, original sections of the milking parlour are to be restored, with some of the contemporary outbuildings demolished to align with the original 19th-century layout.

The existing ground floor plans Picture: Peregrine Mears Architects Ltd

The educational resource room and camping amenities are to be contained within the larger, contemporary sections of the building.

The Trust says the plans will revitalise a building which has been vacant for years.

“The new educational resource centre will act as an important hub space for groups within the local area, as well as acting as an accessible entrance point to the nature within Weston Farm and the wider Dorset National Landscape,” a spokesperson said.

The plans for the site Picture: Peregrine Mears Architects Ltd

“The proposal will re-utilise a building that is in a poor condition and has lay vacant for many years.”

They added: “This will enhance the appearance of the Purbeck Stone elements and return the building to its original appearance.”

Worth Matravers Parish Council said it is pleased to see this building is being restored to a usable standard.

“We look forward to the opportunities it will provide, particularly for local community use,” they added.

To view the plans in full, visit the planning section of Dorset Council’s website and search reference P/FUL/2024/07590.