A POPULAR garden centre has been granted planning permission for a Christmas light trail for future festive periods.
Full planning permission was sought from Warrington Borough Council for a temporary Christmas light trail.
Applicant Bents Garden and Home was looking to create the festive feature at its popular site off Warrington Road in Glazebury.
Now, council planners have moved to approve the light trail, with Bents becoming the latest venue in the area to offer the feature.
The site will comprise a 1.15km walkway around the lake at Bents, to the south of Jennets Lane and south of Jennets Lane Brook, and then crossing the brook.
It will then run around the pond and zig-zag around the field to the east, before re-crossing the brook and entering the plant display area.
Planning documents state: “Christmas light walks have become increasingly common in recent years, create a very effective attraction for visitors, and are much in demand.
“There is great variation possible in the type and form of light sculptures, and these can be themed with Christmas-related stories or nursery stories.
“The light walk at Bents is intended to be an immersive journey for visitors, who walk along a trackway, visiting different features as they progress.
“The depth and interest of the light sculptures is the key to their success.
“Uplighters will be used to great effect to light existing tree canopies in some locations, while other light sculptures will be seen against a backdrop of existing and proposed tree planting.”
At the highest point on the route, a catering outlet is proposed, with a simple open-sided building providing hot drinks and snack foods.
A Christmas light trail has been approved at Bents Garden and Home
A Christmas light trail has been approved at Bents Garden and Home
Toilets are already present within the Bents main building, but additional temporary toilets will be provided within the plant area, with ‘emergency’ toilets at the nearest point of vehicular access to the walk to the east.
The intention is that the operating period for the light walk will be from November 14 until January 4, encapsulating the Christmas period.
“During this period, almost all wildlife in the area of the walk will be hibernating or having migrated away from the area,” plans add.
The limited period of use will be further limited as visitors will have to pre-book, with numbers limited to approximately 70 people per slot – the first available slot being 4.30pm, and last at 7.30pm.
Bents says that the average time to walk the route is estimated at 75 minutes.
Documents conclude: “The proposed light walk would be an added attraction for Bents, opening in a period when darkness comes early in the day.
“It is beneficial to their health to have visitors walking a relatively short distance outdoors at that time of year, provided they wrap themselves up warmly.
“The catering cabin will supply them with hot drinks and snacks to keep warm.
“The impacts of the light walk on the surrounding environment are likely to be minimal, as the site is surrounded by trees to the north, east and to a considerable extent to the west.
“To the south, the bulk of the Garden and Home Centre provides effective screening. Reflections off the surface of the lake and pond will increase the impact of the lighting on visitors to the site.
“Impacts of wildlife are suggested to be low, and the limited operating times and seasonal opening are at periods when very little wildlife is active.”