A FAMILY-RUN plant nursery near Taunton has been sold for £650,000.

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co reported that Wibble Farm Nurseries in Williton, has been sold to Styles Farmhouse Ice Cream Ltd.

The plant nursery has been in the same ownership for two generations and was brought to the market at a guide price of £650,000.

The site was marketed as having a wide range of opportunities for further development or possible alternative use, subject to the necessary planning permissions.

The substantial freehold site offered 17 acres of land and a range of retail and agricultural buildings, located just off the A39, close to the major centres of Minehead, Taunton, Bridgwater and on the edge of the Quantock Hills.

The managing director of Styles Farmhouse Ice Cream, David Baker is delighted to have secured the site and said: “We had been looking for a new site for our ice cream production for five years when Wibble Farm came to our attention in March/April.

“This is a very big step for us. We contacted Tom Glanvill, the agent for the owners, and he has been very helpful in guiding us through all the procedures and pointing out the site’s possibilities for extra revenue.

“We have enjoyed working with him and he has worked very hard to make the deal go as smoothly as possible.”

Tom Glanvill, director – Garden Centres & Retail at Christie & Co brokered the deal and said: “We’re delighted to announce another successful sale in the garden centre market.

“This profitable centre attracted strong interest as soon as it was launched to the market, which resulted in four offers. This is indicative of the ongoing demand we are seeing for garden centre assets.

“Christie & Co has sold a number of high-profile centres in the local area in recent years, including Taunton Garden Centre, Cadbury Garden Centre, Cheddar Garden Centre and Keynsham Garden Centre.

"We are also currently marketing Middlecombe Nursery near Congresbury and Brynawel Garden Centre near Cardiff, which we expect will generate similar interest.”