A SUMMERSEAT couple have applied to Bury Council for permission to open a cafe in the back garden of their cottage.

June and Peter Winsche hope the proposed facility, which would operate from the rear patio of 114 Railway Street, could begin serving

walkers in the village from August this year.

Mrs Winsche said: "In the three years since initiating the idea, my husband and I have gathered information and public opinion from our neighbours, passers-by and friends who live in the area and we have been met with positive, constructive and helpful advice and support, all in favour of such a visionary ‘cottage venture’.

"We have lived in the village for approximately 10 years and observed daily the flow of people who enjoy walking through the village with their families. My vision is to offer an experience for walkers that they won’t encounter anywhere else.

"I envisage Juniper Tea Garden as a quaint, pretty, quiet and much needed facility in the village where people can meet up and chat in the garden over a coffee and piece of cake."

Mr Winsche is a former chair of the Summerseat Village Community while his wife was also on the committee.

"Our pretty little stone outbuilding will be kitted out with three small tables and several chairs to offer inside seating, with heating and blankets for when the weather is cold or raining, and the patio will have three bistro-style tables each offering four chairs," said Mrs Winsche. "My vision is that Juniper Tea Garden will offer a peaceful and sensory experience. The patio will be decked and enhanced with sensory plants, shrubs, herbs and flowers and garden ornaments - such as bird baths, bird houses and feeders, intended to offer my clientele a relaxing physical, emotional and mental experience.

"Juniper Tea Garden will serve a selection of continental coffees, speciality teas, cold drinks and homemade cakes, scones and cold wraps, a choice of vegetarian options. The cakes and tarts will reflect mine and my husband’s ancestry, calling on our Polish, German and Eastern European heritage."

Earlier this year, Summerseat was rocked by the tragic death of Hazel Wilcock who died when her home collapsed on nearby East View following an explosion. An investigation is ongoing into the causes of Ms Wilcox's death.

"We have spoken to our neighbours and we have been thoroughly honest with them," added Mrs Winsche, who has applied for a 12 month temporary planning permission. "We do not want to upset them and we have the utmost respect for them. Thus far, all we have spoken to have been positive about our vision.

"Our aim is to enhance the village, provide a small, good quality community facility, and offer a peaceful, low key, impeccable and robustly managed tea garden set against the context of a quaint stone house, a beautiful ‘green’ patio and gentile garden experience, with the sight and aroma of herbs, shrubs and plants to calm and energise."