Permission has been granted at Humble by Nature farm in Penallt to begin restoration and renovation of a 200-year-old barn.

The farm, owned by TV presenter Kate Humble and producer Ludo Graham, is intended to be a mix between a working tenanted farm (run by Tim and Sarah Stephens, who breed Hereford cattle and Welsh Mountain sheep) and a countryside training centre.

The historic barn is destined to become an important part of the training facility, housing a large kitchen, dining area, lecture room and office.

"Currently we are running our courses from a temporary building, which is fine, but not quite as nice as a restored 19th century barn," said Ludo, pictured right, who is working full-time on making the venture a success.

"We are re-using a beautiful old building and renovating it using original materials, ensuring the design, inside and out, is in keeping with the rural setting.

"Even the furniture is sourced from the farm. The long work tables are made by a local artisan from a tree that fell over on our land a couple of years ago. We use sustainable materials and try to source as much as possible from our own land or at least from the local area.

"We have installed a biomass boiler which provides heat for the whole estate. At the moment we do not have a lot of woodland but have begun planting work with the Woodland Trust.

"So far we have planted about 500 of the target 2,000 trees which will help to sustain the farm in future years. Usk college came up to thefarm to help us do the planting. It is our aim to work with the local community as much as possible."

Humble by Nature also work with Gwent Wildlife Trust and currently house around 60 of their bird boxes on the farm.

"We hope to become a small hub for local wildlife and conservation projects – somewhere they can come to run courses and use our land to spread the word about environmental issues. We are delighted to have links with the Monmouth-based 'Bees for Development', which is an international charitable organisation."

In 2011 there was some controversy about the purchase of the farm, which had been council owned. Against protocol, the farm was not put to public tender but offered directly to the TV couple.

Senior councillors and officers championed the purchase. Monmouthshire County Council retained a 30 per cent interest in the farm and there were murmurings that the price was lower than market value.

This 30 per cent interest in the farm comes with the caveat that, in 10 years' time, Humble and Graham either buy the council out at the market rate, or the council have the option to buy back the farm.

This ensures that MCC get a slice of any equity increase created due to development of a 'TV tourism' business in their area.

There was some local dissent about the conduct of the council but Kate and Ludo are passionate that the farm should become a centre for the community and they are protecting the farm from being broken up into smaller parcels of land.

"We are planning on installing a cider press and honey extractor so that local people can bring their small scale apple crop or honey to us and process them here at minimum cost and fuss," added Ludo.

While Humble by Nature courses run most weekends, when the new barn is renovated it will be available to hire for local events.

Kate and Ludo also want to host a village event on the farm this summer to encourage people from the immediate area to come and witness first hand what they are trying to achieve.