The first permission was for a retail use in a rural area and that was approved under delegated powers and the second was for an exhibition/tourism use and that had to be presented to the planning committee at the request of the local councillor. After an extensive debate the committee approved the application within seven votes to one, all great news.
However one of the objectors has instigated Judicial Review proceedings to challenge the retail use permission and may do the same for the exhibition use. In essence they are challenging the legal basis of the decision made by the council and we now have to wait and see what happens.
Latest commercial case studies:
Gaigers site
This site was the main warehouse and distribution premises for the Devizes based brewery Wadworth & Co Ltd, containing workshops and stabling for shire horses. RCC became involved in this site to act on behalf of the brewery who intended to reorganise their activities and operations whereby the main site would become redundant as a result.
Nursery
Sixpenny Nurseries have a small group of nurseries in Wiltshire. Their lease in Devizes was ending and new premise was a priority. RCC discussed possible options with them but a number of possible sites raised issues concerning the potential impact of the proposed use on traffic and residential amenity of an area.
Rowdy Cow
RCC was asked by the architects for this job (PKA Architects) to assist them by submitting a planning application for a farm diversification proposal. The proposal, on a dairy farm, was to establish a micro ice cream factory within an existing small agricultural building whilst then building an additional linked building to house a café.