Introduction

Garden Centre owners are showing an appetite for establishing Farm Shops in their Garden Centres. This is a logical evolutionary business development as many Garden Centres already sell prepared food in the Coffee Bars and Restaurants and Vegetable Seeds and Plants in their Plant Sales Areas. Garden centres can establish food sales either by virtue of their existing planning permission, or by seeking a new permission to establish a Farm Shop. As in all planning matters, every application is taken on its own merits and there is no uniform response across the UK. From the standpoint of the Local Planning Authority seeking to decide whether such a development is logical in Planning Law and Planning Practice, where there is no simple definition of a Farm Shop, there is much to consider.

Central government advice contained in PPS4 (Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth) sets out that "local planning authorities should respond positively to planning applications for farm shops which meet a demand for local produce in a sustainable way and contribute to the rural economy, as long as they do not adversely affect easily accessible convenience shopping". We have unrivalled experience in successfully arguing the planning case in a variety of situations. It may be that if the area proposed is relatively small this may be considered in Planning Law as insignificant. It may be a case of negotiation with the local planning authority re "home grown" and "imported" goods, or drafting a proposed condition acceptable to the local planning authority and to yourself.

The following examples where we gained planning permission demonstrate our success in negotiating with different local planning authorities for varied forms of Farm Shop. To discuss your requirements, please email us or give us a call.