FARMER Mac du Feu has won his fight to be able to run a farm shop from his St Mary holding following a legal ruling which suggests he never needed planning permission in the first place.
The ruling - effectively a planning policy change, with implications for the future of the rural economy - has also resulted in Mr du Feu wanting compensation for the loss of months of potential trade and the £500 spent on architects’ drawings.
The legal advice has come from Solicitor General Stephanie Nicolle who says that under the Planning Law the use of part of a farm for the sale of the farm’s own produce is not a primary use in itself, but an ancillary one that does not require a separate permit.
Previously the Planning Department believed that consent was required for permission to be given for a shop to be established on a farm.
Mr du Feu, who received much public support, was informed last week that the decision made in March not to allow him to convert an existing building into a farm shop to sell his own farm produce - on grounds of road safety - was invalid.
Article posted on 31st July, 2004 - 12.00am
Most Commented: