Q&A: What’s Planned for Haithwaite Farm at Penton?
- Jun 18
- 5 min read
We answer key questions about the vision, impact and plans for Haithwaite Farm, Cumbria’s new rural destination
What is the development at Haithwaite Farm at Penton?
Haithwaite Farm is a major rural regeneration and visitor‑economy development, transforming largely derelict former farm buildings into a tourism hub focused on food, heritage, craft, hospitality and sustainability. It is designed to boost tourism, create long‑term employment and support local supply chains. The ambition is to create a destination for visitors and provide services to the local community.
What will be included in it?
The development will include a café, farm shop, heritage centre, craft workshops, a distillery, a taphouse bar, an event and exhibition space and two self-catering accommodation properties.
The heritage centre will highlight the story of the Border Reivers, drawing on centuries of local history, while the craft workshops will provide a platform for skilled makers from the local area.
The distillery and taphouse will champion small-batch production and local ingredients. The café and farm shop will also shine a spotlight on local produce and products.
When is the development likely to open?
Haithwaite Farm is due to open in 2027.
Is it owned by the same people who own the Pentonbridge Inn and Netherby Hall, and how will these businesses link together?
Haithwaite Farm is owned and operated by Netherby Hall Ltd, the company behind Netherby Hall, which offers nine luxury self-catering apartments and cottages at the Grade II*-listed mansion near Longtown, and the Michelin‑starred restaurant Pentonbridge Inn at Penton, which is close to the Haithwaite Farm site.
The three businesses are designed to complement one another. This joined‑up approach aims to encourage repeat visits, longer stays and deeper engagement with the area, strengthening the tourism offer and the local economy.
What kind of goods will be sold at Haithwaite Farm?
The farm shop, café, distillery and craft spaces will prioritise local farmers, growers, makers and producers, providing reliable, year‑round routes to market for local businesses.
The emphasis is on short supply chains, transparency, and showcasing local produce and talent. The development will build on strong partnerships already established with suppliers at Netherby Hall and Pentonbridge Inn, while providing opportunities for producers across the region.
Anyone interested in their products being stocked in the farm shop can get in touch with the team at info@netherbyhall.co.uk
What other services will be on offer?
Other services include:
Cultural and educational experiences, and events, via the heritage centre and exhibition space
Craft workshops and maker spaces
Visitor experiences linked to landscape, heritage and sustainability
How do you anticipate the development will impact the local community and economy?
We will be creating a number of facilities which are not in the local area already including the café, farm shop, taphouse, exhibition space, and heritage centre.
The development is expected to:
Boost tourism and visitor spend in the local area
Increase visitor dwell time in the area
Support local producers
Strengthen supply chains and rural employment
Provide new community engagement opportunities through open days, talks and shared spaces
Haithwaite Farm is designed to be a long‑term, sustainable investment rather than a seasonal or short‑term attraction.
How many jobs will be created and what kind of jobs will they be?
The development is expected to create more than 50 permanent, year‑round jobs across hospitality, retail, maintenance, visitor services and management. Due to the range of facilities available, we will be looking for skilled workers in many different areas.
Netherby Hall Ltd is also deepening its work with local colleges to create progression pathways, apprenticeships and skills development that will help meet the needs of the business. The goal is to offer a broad range of careers, from culinary and accommodation roles to horticulture, events management, retail and heritage interpretation.
It’s a remote location – has market research shown it will be viable?
Extensive research has been carried out to ensure the long‑term viability of the Haithwaite Farm development and its positive impact on the local economy.
It has been shaped by detailed analysis of changing visitor behaviour, particularly the growing demand for authentic, experience‑led and regenerative tourism rather than short, transactional stays.
Visitors increasingly want destinations that combine high‑quality food, heritage, local produce and unique experiences in one place, encouraging longer stays and repeat visits rather than one‑off trips.
Community engagement sessions and local consultation have played a crucial role in shaping the development and will continue to do so. Open days and engagement with local groups helped address early misconceptions and reinforced the focus on sustainability, heritage and local benefit rather than large‑scale or inappropriate tourism.
The development is designed to support and amplify existing local businesses by attracting new visitors into a relatively under‑explored part of the region. Visitors drawn in by the development are likely to eat locally, shop locally, explore nearby towns and villages and extend their stay in the area, creating a wider economic ripple effect.
Where do you expect customers to come from?
The aim is to attract local people and visitors from further afield, positioning Haithwaite Farm as a gateway to exploring North Cumbria, the south of Scotland and the wider region.
Customers are expected to include day visitors from Cumbria and south-west Scotland, as well as from across the North of England, the Scottish Borders and beyond. The venue is also expected to attract national visitors with an interest in heritage, craft, food and sustainability, alongside guests already staying at Netherby Hall and diners visiting Pentonbridge Inn.
Overall, Haithwaite Farm is a sustainable development rooted in the landscape, heritage and community of North Cumbria.
What sustainability measures are being considered?
Regeneration is behind everything we do, from restoring the historic Netherby Hall, to diversifying the traditional farmstead at Haithwaite Farm.
Haithwaite has been designed with the same long-term environmental ambition that underpins both Netherby Hall and Pentonbridge Inn. Netherby Hall Ltd has already invested heavily in renewable energy across its sites. Haithwaite Farm will build on that foundation with a combination of biomass, solar panelling, ground-source heating and ultra-short supply chains that reduce food miles. All Haithwaite buildings are being restored within the original farm footprint, reusing up to 70% of the original building materials, with development guided by environmentally responsible construction principles. Around 47,000 trees have already been planted as part of the project, enhancing biodiversity and contributing to long‑term carbon sequestration.
How will the site minimise the impact of increased visitors on the local environment?
The site will provide sufficient parking for visitors. The entrance and exit route has been planned to create flowing traffic and avoid back up onto the main roads. We are installing EV chargers to encourage electric vehicles and will be working with local providers to create a shuttle bus service so we can reduce the number of cars visiting the site.
We will be using low-level down lights, which will run on timers to ensure they are not on at all times.
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