A honey farming business wants to expand its new beehive site near Coalville - after being told it had to move from the company's original land last summer.

Temple Bees, based in Measham, has lodged a planning application with North West Leicestershire District Council asking for permission to build a storage unit on land in Jeffcoats Lane in Swannington.

Despite a 'disruptive summer' the company aims to increase its production from three tonnes of honey to five tonnes by 2025.

Temple Bees owners Nigel and Caroline Collier, in a covering letter to the District Council, say that they also plan to increase the number of bee colonies from 100 to 150 and are sited across North West Leicestershire.

The letter also provides the background for the application.

It says: "The reason for this application at this time was triggered by events in the summer of 2022. 

"Our bee breeding and honey production was much disrupted this summer. 

"The landowner of our best and longest established apiary site, told us to move our bees from there, in the middle of the season – with only a two week moving window. 

Nigel Collier of Temple Bees tending to one of his bee colonies. Photo: North West Leicestershire District Council

"At the same time, we were also advised that the storage areas that we use on that same site must be vacated by summer 2023. 

"Finally, as honey production has increased this year (despite the disruption), we are also running out of food safe storage at home for the honey we produce, for the storage of the buckets of honey before the honey is jarred and sold. 

"We generated three tonnes of honey this year, which is over 200 30lb buckets! 

"These three things triggered the purchase of the land in September 2022, and the submission of this application. 

"We intend that the Swannington site will allow us to have a storage area and permanent breeding site under our direct control. 

"Honey extraction, jarring and packing honey for sale, and office/administration work will not take place at Swannington but will continue at home, in our 5-star hygiene rated extraction and jarring facilities.

"Temple Bees is a bee farming business that has been trading commercially since June 1, 2020. 

"Our main business is to supply the best possible quality of raw and natural honey to retail outlets in and around North West Leicestershire. 

"We received a grant this year from NWLDC Council Business Growth Hub for over £5,000 to expand our business and this has increased colony numbers by 36 this year. 

"We supply a number of retail outlets in the area, including North West Leicestershire District Council. 

"Our honey is sold by the council at the 1620s House and at Bosworth Battlefield Visitor Centre! 

"We are both passionate about the environment and sustainability.

"There will be some bees kept on site. It is planned that this will be a combination of breeder colonies, nucleus colonies (smaller colonies to be sold on) and Honey Production colonies. 

"Numbers will be kept in line with available food supplies in the area, supplemented with feed as required where a colony is not designated as Honey Producing. When appropriate, we will also rescue and re-home bumblebee nests to the site."