The last 12 months have been a very productive time for the Holsworthy Agri-business Centre project. Two public consultations held late last year established overwhelming community support for the project and a real sense of excitement about what it could bring to the town.

Since the consultation events, the Holsworthy Agri-business Centre steering group has worked hard to identify a suitable new site for the agri-business centre and develop a delivery strategy for making the project happen with associated timescales.

A spokesperson for the group said: "The group has identified an innovative delivery method of using the value of the existing livestock market site to fund the new build.

"In order to fully understand the implications of this approach we have designed an efficient and cost effective layout for the new centre to accurately determine the construction costs. Once the construction costs were established they provided a guide for the value we would need to generate from the existing site."

It is intended that the group now develop these indicative layouts to a full set of detailed drawings which will submitted as part of a detailed planning application in Spring 2011. In addition, an environmental impact assessment will begin shortly which will look at the impacts on ecology, landscape and hydrology to name a few. A detailed transport assessment has also been carried out to ensure the proposals will not have a negative impact on the flow of traffic within Holsworthy.

Torridge District Council leader James Morrish said: "We recognise the strategic importance of the new agri-business centre to Holsworthy. It's a tremendously exciting project and we're looking forward to working closely with local partners and parish councils to make it happen."

Holsworthy Hamlets Parish Council commented: "We recognise the content of the article and as a parish council we are in full support of what is being proposed. We are however, disappointed that it has taken two years for our parish council to be consulted on the new agri-business centre, particularly when it is to be located within the parish area as is much of the farming community who are likely to use it and who have also not been consulted."

Mayor of Holsworthy and Torridge District Councillor Richard Brown commented: "I am very pleased with the work that the steering group have been doing on the agri-business centre project, but it is essential that interested parties continue to work together to make this project successful as it is absolutely vital to the economic viability and re-generation of Holsworthy and the entire surrounding area."