Harlaxton Manor’s walled garden project – which includes a new visitor centre and cafe – gets the green light

Plans for new walled gardens at a historic manor have been given the green light.

An application from Harlaxton College for new visitor facilities to be built in the grounds of Harlaxton Manor have been approved by South Kesteven District Council.

The walled garden project includes a new education centre, cafe and toilets within the Gardener's House, which is set to be restored.

A new visitor's car park will be built and connected to the walled gardens by a footpath, with a new play area added in the grounds.

The existing log store on the site will be used as a hub for volunteers and staff, and a new access point will be created on the A607, adding to the existing entrance.

In a statement, Harlaxton College said: “We are very pleased to announce that we have just received planning permission to complete both phases of our Walled Garden project.

“Following submission in August 2022, our plans soon received a very positive response from Historic England and other statutory agencies, and they have generated a lot of local excitement and interest.

“This is exciting news for the college as it allows us to progress with this important element of our plan to transform Harlaxton.

“The Walled Garden project, with its aim to restore the walled garden to productive use with an emphasis on education, community participation, sustainability, accessibility and inclusion, is but one element of a wider plan which includes a strategic realignment of our educational programs and unleashing the potential of our enterprise business.”

More plans were revealed in September 2022, with a new sensory garden, medicinal garden and orchard proposed.

The new hub within the walled gardens will also be available to host weddings, concerts, exhibitions, and by community groups.

Harlaxton College say that the project will “celebrate the University of Evansville’s stewardship of Harlaxton over the last 50 years”, while creating a new academic space and inviting the community to be part of the manor’s past and future.

The statement continued: “Now that we have planning permission, we will begin the next detailed design stage (RIBA Stage 4).

“In essence, this will take our submitted application materials and add a level of detail necessary to create plans and specifications suitable to allow contractors to bid on the construction work.

“This stage will take approximately six months and it will be a highly collaborative design process involving all constituencies of the College, our consulting team, other external supporters and advisors.

“It will involve all staff teams, faculty, students and colleagues from the University so that we can ensure that our needs are properly incorporated into the detailed design of the project.

“We are very excited about the future of Harlaxton and hope you will take a moment to celebrate with us.”