ONE of Witney’s biggest visitor attractions will not be open to the public this year.

Cogges Manor Farm Museum closed at the end of August last year, and was set to be taken over in April under new management of a charitable trust.

This week, Oxfordshire County Council, who ran the museum, claimed this date was not set in stone, and said that it had taken longer than expected to hand over to the Cogges Shadow Board.

County Hall spokesman, Marcus Mabberley, would not say when it would reopen.

He also declined to comment on how much would be lost in takings while the museum remained unopened during the Easter period.

The 30-year-old museum historically shuts at the end of the summer season, and reopens for the Easter weekend.

Julia Holberry, director of the board, said: “We are not going to open at Easter, because we need to invest in the site over the next year.” Ms Holberry said the trust was aiming to open the Church Lane museum next year.

She would not say what work was being undertaken at the museum or how much was being spent on the revamp.

She referred the Witney Gazette to a statement on website cogges.org.uk.

Mr Mabberley confirmed that the attraction had not yet been handed over from the county council to the board, which may now take place in June. He said: “The council and the trustees are working together to finalise the best way forward, and this has taken a little longer than originally anticipated.”

Despite its popularity with families, the Victorian working farm had been running at a loss of about £200,000 a year for the past few seasons.

In 2007, selling the Cogges site for housing was suggested. Instead, the county council decided to hand management of the museum over to a charitable trust in a bid to revive visitor numbers. The statement on the Cogges website said: “Cogges needs capital development in order to flourish in the future. This will take time and money. Architectural plans must be drawn up and approved by English Heritage and the local planning authority, and grants, sponsorship, and donations must be secured before much of the necessary work can even start.”

Although the site will not be open on a daily basis, this year there will be some visits for schools.

Mike Breakell, of West Oxfordshire District Council, was planning to take Norwegian friends to the attraction as they visited this week. He said: “Cogges was always difficult to run financially, but it is about providing something for the local people and visitors.

“Oxfordshire quite rightly is very proud of its tourism, bringing us lots of money and jobs. But we are going backwards if the trust isn’t going forwards.”

Cogges Manor Farm Museum attracts up to 30,000 visitors, including 500 schoolchildren, every year. Father-of-five Keith Green, 45, of Bartlett Close, said: “My two eldest have been to Cogges and I think for school kids it’s good. It needs marketing more and pushing out there.”

John Troughear, of Woodstock Road, said: “I have been there, and have had a look around it a couple of times.

“It’s something that the children found interesting, and we have taken the grandchildren there.

“I think it should remain in Witney.”

The trust is responsible for managing the museum’s county council-funded budget of £160,000 per year until 2012. It has also been given a one-off investment of £250,000.

It will oversee the museum’s application for Lottery funding, as it looks for between £1.5m and £2m to help finance various projects.