FARMER Steve Oram is preparing to open a driving range on his land near Devizes four years after he first put forward plans for the scheme.

Mr Oram, 51, is not a golfer himself but he was determined to get everything just right before opening his centre at Parklands Farm, Sleight.

He said: "I changed the plans a bit because I wanted to make the most of the cafe. It will now look out over the fields and hopefully be the sort of place that people will come to even if they are not using the driving range. For me it is all about making it customer friendly."

He has started marketing the range and expects it will be ready to open by the end of April. There will be 12 floodlit bays open seven days a week.

His planning permission allows him to open from 8am to 9pm but he says on some days, especially in winter, he is likely to close by 7pm.

He said: "I am quite excited by the whole project. A lot of people have said they are looking forward to us opening. I want to make everything as good as it possibly can be so customers have a good experience."

He is not planning to employ a professional but will offer coaches the opportunity to give lessons on a freelance basis.

Car parking is included as part of the scheme as well as toilets and a ball storage building. Access will be off Sleight Lane near the Fox and Hounds Pub.

When he first applied to Wiltshire Council for planning in 2012 Mr Oram said the development would be as environmentally friendly as possible. The ground would not be altered, the buildings would blend in with the existing farm buildings and lighting would be ground-mounted within small earth mounds.

He said: "If you look at our grain store from the Fox and Hounds, the buildings we are proposing to build are probably half the height of that, so you probably wouldn’t notice it’s there,” he said.

"People don’t like lights on top of big poles. Our lighting would be on the ground, so there shouldn’t be any problem."