In a climate where everywhere you look businesses have gone to the wall, it’s good to see there are still a few with ambitious expansion plans.

The people behind the 35-acre Airfield working urban farm and gardens on the Upper Kilmacud Road in Dundrum, Dublin 14 - a great favourite with families - have been granted planning permission by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to redevelop its grounds and build a new cafe, farm buildings, exhibition space and teaching pavilion.

The plan is to refurbish Airfield House, which is a protected structure ,and move the cafe out of it into a purpose-built pavilion.

There will also be a new single-storey entrance building to the south of Airfield House to accommodate the relocated ticket counter and garden centre store and a new single-storey teaching and event space.

When the cafe moves out of the main house the space will be used as an archive exhibition.

There will also be a new garage to display vintage cars, a new horticulture area and a semi-walled garden, a teaching pavilion and new farm courtyard buildings.