A COUNCIL run farm won’t open to visitors this summer after redundancies at at the popular attraction were confirmed.
Greenmeadow Community Farm, in Cwmbran, has been closed to the public since the end of October last year with Torfaen council set to invest £1.7 million in improving indoor facilities and new attractions including a zip wire.
The council confirmed in March rising construction costs meant its full re-opening would be delayed until 2025 but it hoped to able to re-open some outdoor areas this summer, and to announce details in early May.
But the authority has now said that won’t be possible to open the attraction, which is a small working farm, to visitors this summer but it is looking at hosting events for volunteers.
It has also been confirmed that all affected staff have been issued with redundancy notices after it consulted on nine redundancies in March. A decision on redundancy costs is due to be taken by the council’s cabinet member for finance this week.
A council spokesman said: “The project will not open to visitors this summer but we are exploring opportunities for volunteer days or similar events on the farm and will have further updates over the coming weeks.
“We expect Greenmeadow Community Farm to fully re-open by Spring 2025 with new outdoor and indoor play areas which will transform the 120-acre site into one of the most popular visitor destinations in the region.”
The spokesman also said the authority is supporting those staff who have lost their jobs: “Staff have the opportunity to consider re-deployment into alternative, suitable roles within the council that may become available during their notice periods and support is available from the authority’s employment and skills team.”
Greenmeadow has been a working farm for 250 years but was saved from possible closure in the 1980s by local volunteers and came into the control and ownership of the local authority.
