A MAJOR refurbishment to Archerfield Walled Garden is set to go ahead in the New Year following three years of planning.

The long-awaited work is due to start in the New Year, with doors closing on January 3 and set to reopen on an as-yet-unconfirmed date in the spring.

The plans will see a garden shop and retail space created in the area formerly occupied by Knops Brewery, which closed at the beginning of this year.

The shop will sell indoor and outdoor plants, as well as other garden tools and equipment.

The focus on a garden theme will be carried into the cafe, whose kitchen team will be led by new chef Duncan Adamson.

Duncan has worked in Michelin star kitchens and will focus on using the produce grown in the walled garden itself, working with gardeners throughout the year to create seasonal menus.

In addition, the cafe will move to a self-service model and will feature a salad servery and pre-prepared sandwiches and rolls.

The playpark space at the rear of the building will also have a canopy installed over part of it, with additional seating, to allow all-weather outdoor dining.

A spokesperson for Archerfield Walled Garden said of the upcoming refurbishment: “It’s long awaited and we’re very excited about it.

“The garden shop and retail space will be pretty sizeable, about a third of the floor space of the building.

“Our food offering is going to be quite different to what we’re doing at the moment; it’s going to be a lot more focused on the garden-to-plate ethos.

“We really want to become a destination for foods.

“We’ve obviously got the beautiful outdoor space and the gardens but we really want to attract people because they think it’s a great cafe and we serve amazing food.”

Ross McGregor, director of operations for Archerfield Estates Limited, had told the Courier in January this year: “The business has been growing over the last few years and now we are adding to that.

“We aim to make it slicker for the customer, as well as a simpler and more beautiful place.”