A plan to demolish the popular Hollys Farm Shop at Penketh and replace it with a new facility has been re-submitted to Warrington Borough Council planners who turned down a previous application on Green Belt grounds.
The decision to refuse the application caused uproar amongst the local community who support the farm shop.
The application, originally submitted in 2022, involved the demolition of the existing farm shop and the proposed new farm shop with an associated storage area and car parking while retaining an existing toilet and shed at the site on Tannery Lane, Penketh. But it was rejected last July by borough council planners who said it was an inappropriate development in the Green Belt.
In support of the latest application, it states that the development does not require Very Special Circumstances as it is exempt from national policy.
If very special circumstances are required the site and the proposal are for public use.
The buildings are in the same style as existing stables and provide a retail outlet for fresh fruit and vegetables, which do not exist in the whole of Penketh, other in the form of supermarkets where everything is pre-packed.
The applicant also states the site lies between other properties and dwellings and the scale of the development is entirely appropriate to its settings and parking provided.
They also state that the site looks out over fields to the “landmark Fiddlers Ferry Power Station” which is being demolished and being replaced with housing and industrial development, rather than being returned to Green Belt, preserving the break between the conurbations of Warrington and Widnes.
They say the retail use of the site is appreciated by the local population as it is easily available, to sell produce some of which is grown on-site.
The site also helps a number of disadvantaged individuals by keeping them occupied with various tasks, along with the upkeep of adjacent stables.
“Huge disappointment” as planners reject new Holly’s Farm Shop on Green Belt grounds
