Acton Scott Farm's future needs to be got right, council says

The site is known as the location of the series Victorian Farm

The future of a working farm, used as the location of the television series Victorian Farm, needs to be got right, a council says.

Acton Scott Historic Working Farm, near Craven Arms, has been shut since July 2021 after an outbreak of E-coli.

The site is no longer "financially viable", the council has said and added its future is still being discussed.

The council said it is taking time to explore all options but in the meantime it is still paying the lease.

It is also paying for the costs of caring for the animals.

The venue, set within the Acton Scott Estate, has been operated by the council since the 1970s.

Visitor numbers peaked in 2009, the authority said, at about 45,000 a year, but have been in decline since, with the farm operating at a deficit of £168,000 per year.

Shropshire Council said it is working with the Acton Scott estate owners

Cecilia Motley, cabinet member for culture, leisure and tourism, said the farm is "no longer considered to be financially viable for the council".

"We know the value people place on Acton Scott Historic Working Farm and we recognise its importance socially, educationally and in terms of the visitor economy," she said."Our desire is to reach a workable solution with the estate and explore all possible options in doing so."

A report had been set to go before the council's cabinet next month but the authority wants to take time to "get it right because it is such an important decision", council leader Lezley Picton added.

"There is all sorts of discussions going on...there's a number of options, there's also external interested parties," she said.

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