Decision deferred on prison farm shop

PLANNING chiefs at Warrington have put off a decision on a plan for a farm shop in the grounds of a prison after hearing of objections from a councillor and a nearby resident.
Members of the borough council’s development management committee decided to defer the matter.
The plan involves change of use of an existing agricultural building in the grounds of Thorn Cross Young Offenders Institution in Arley Road, Appleton Thorn.
The new shop would mainly sell produce grown or made on the site.
The committee was told a nearby resident had objected on the grounds of noise, glare from light and road safety issues and borough councillor Brian Axcell opposed the scheme on the grounds it was an unacceptable commercial operation in the Green Belt and would cause harm to living conditions in a neighbouring property.
But another neighbour supported the scheme and wished the project success.
Planning officers said there would no external alterations to the existing building so there would be no impact on the Green Belt.
The small scale of the operation would mean it would not affect any retail centres, the nearest of which was more than a mile away.  But it would fulfil a local need.
The plan is for some 70 per cent of the goods on sale to be grown or made on the site with 30 per cent being imported goods which cannot be grown on the site such as potatoes, oranges, bananas and honey.
The aim is to serve the local community of Appleton Thorn – which has no existing shop.
Pictured: The existing building, viewed from Arley Road.