A COMMUNITY leader is devastated after a much-loved farm shop, garden centre and cafe shuts for good.
Gosling Farm Shop, Garden Centre and Cafe in Trimley St Martin, east Suffolk, announced its sudden closure just weeks before the spring rush.
Lee Reeves, who represents Orwell and Villages on East Suffolk Council, said he was disappointing to see the business pull down its shutters for good.
“It is so sad that such a long-running and cherished local business has found it necessary to close,” Lee explained.
He added: “Many will miss the shop, café and pick your own facilities which were well used in summer months.”
The farm shops cafe was popular among locals in the village and also attracted tourists from all over the UK.
The District Councillor also raised concerns over how the space will now be used and hopes the site won’t be used for the development of new homes.
Hopefully the site can have continued community use
Lee Reeves
The east Suffolk village has already seen huge amounts of development, with more projects “in the pipeline”.
However, Lee added: “Hopefully the site can have continued community use perhaps with a continuation of food production and a small retail element or for leisure use.”
The owners of Gosling announced the closure in a post on social media and thanked its staff and “loyal customers” for the past few years.
One devastated resident took to Facebook to voice their disappointment.
He posted a photo of the now closed farm with the caption: “A very sad lean, the gates Gosling’s Farm Café are chained up and the place is permanently closed.”
Other locals shared their sadness in the comments with one user writing: “What a shame.”
“It’s going to be sorely missed,” wrote another.
While this resident commented: “Everybody’s assuming that it’s been sold off to property developers (and I suspect that they’re right).”
It comes after shoppers have been left saddened after a grocery store abruptly announced its closure after 50 “amazing” years.
And Wetherspoons has saved an “impressive” pub from closure, but another site has closed its doors for good.
