Green light to convert rural property near Worksop into a market garden

The owners of the address in Oxcroft, near Clowne, applied to Bolsover District Council for a change of use proposal at the Oxcroft Estate, Oxcroft Lane, as well as convert part of the site into car parking.

A planning report states: “The buildings and site have historically been used as a mixed residential/small holding prior to the change of use which has recently occurred.

"The proposed use only employs the occupiers of the dwelling on site and is an expansion of a market garden which includes selling flowers and arrangements produced on site, together with eco-friendly refillable household products and bread, cakes and chocolates by local producers.

“Sales take place online and collections from site are pre-booked. There is also a small stand on the site frontage which has flowers to be bought by passers buy.

"Some of the flowers are grown on site, some are bought in. One of the buildings is used for preparing flowers, one is for storage of products and one is used for holding workshops for flower arranging.

"The use of the site as it currently exists is considered to represent a small scale rural enterprise which is of a scale which is appropriate to its surroundings and will help support a sustainable rural economy.

"It is considered necessary to restrict the use of the site to employing the occupiers of the site, limit the use of the site for holding workshops and limiting the retail use of the site because if the use of the site is unrestricted it may potentially expand into a business which does not require a rural location and which may be harmful to the rural character of the area.

"The proposed car park is set behind the existing dwelling and outbuilding and is screened from outside the site by the existing boundary treatments. The buildings/structures on site are all existing and have been there for some time. The proposal is therefore not considered to have and urbanising impact on the character and appearance of the area. It is therefore considered that the development respects the existing form, scale and character of the locality.”

The application was approved with conditions.