Wedding venue plans at Great British Bake Off location in Welford Park, West Berkshire

The Great British Bake Off location at Welford Park in West Berkshire could be turned into a wedding venue.

Planning permission is sought to use an area of woodland for wedding ceremonies and receptions for six months of the year.

The idea is put forward by Newbury company Forest Edge Tipis, which already provides bespoke weddings for couples who seek an outdoor wedding, including at Sheepdrove Organic Farm in Lambourn.

That received planning permission in September 2023 for a similar proposal, allowing tipi weddings to take place over a five-month period.

It is proposed to erect a ceremony tent on land to the north of the site to enable covered wedding ceremonies to take place.

Four tipis are planned within which wedding receptions would be held, as well as a catering tent and toilet block.

An area to the south west of the site would enable parking for up to 40 cars.

The application says all structures are temporary and therefore would be removed at the end of wedding season.

Thus for six months of the year (October to March) the site would revert to woodland.

The application site forms part of The Welford Park Estate, which is located north of the M4.

The estate is a family-owned business with a farming operation, property portfolio and events department.

It is well known for being the home of The Great British Bake Off, as well as for hosting annual public events, such as the Snowdrop Event and the Spectacle of Light Show.

The site is situated in an area designated as Ancient Woodland known as ‘Highwood Copse’ but none of the trees are protected by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO).

The site also lies within a Local Wildlife Site and the North Wessex Downs National Landscape.

Full planning permission is sought for the use of an area of woodland for wedding ceremonies and receptions for six months a year, including the temporary erection of four tipis, ceremony tent, catering tent, toilet block and use of land for car parking purposes.

Wedding receptions currently take place within the tipis for a maximum of 28 days a year and this application would enable the tipis to remain in situ for up to six months of the year, allowing a greater number of weddings to take place as well as enabling ceremonies to take place on the same site.