A RESTAURANT, bistro and farm shop are all ideas being considered to attract visitors to the planned Bombay Sapphire distillery at Laverstoke Mill.

Bombay Sapphire has applied to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council for planning permission to change the use of buildings at the site, and is considering the possibility of working alongside Laverstoke Park Farm.

In plans submitted to the borough council, the company has applied to change the use of three buildings within the site to house a 200-seat restaurant, farm shop and bistro.

Bombay Sapphire bosses plan to open the additional buildings between 10am and midnight – the same hours as the rest of the site – and have told the borough council they plan to employ 20 additional full-time members of staff.

The gin company will have 10 deliveries of produce for the restaurant, bistro and farm shop on weekdays, five on Satur-days and no deliveries on Sunday.

Bombay Sapphire has also applied for permission to site an overflow car park at the tourist attraction – which will open later this year – for an extra 49 parking spaces in addition to the 85 spaces that are already in place.

The proposed development is expected to generate an extra 381 cars a day in the peak months between June and Septem-ber.

Michael Croft, project manager for Laverstoke Park Farm, told The Gazette: “We are in negotiations and haven’t signed anything. We hope to be in collaboration and run the restaurant site there, and the application has been applied for by them.”

Will Brix, estate manager for the Laverstoke Mill site, added: “Our aim is to get the very best out of the site and a restaurant, bistro and farm shop are all fantastic possibilities, so we are progressing with the necessary planning applications.

“Laverstoke Park Farm are our closest neighbours to the Bombay Sapphire distillery. As a result, we’ve had a good relationship with them from the inception of the project at Laverstoke Mill and all conversations across a variety of topics have evolved organically over time.”

He added: “There is a clear synergy between Bombay Sapphire and our neighbours at Laverstoke Park Farm, due to the quality and craftsmanship of their products and ours.”