So WE DID IT!

Our Planning Application was APPROVED! A garden centre for the community can be born. The Planning Application 214108 for the whole site, with carbon capture woodland, allotments, play area, community space, toilets near the shop/cafe (at last!) and a building for us to put our cafe, farm shop and garden centre in - has been approved.

This happened on a Wednesday night in March. We were so shocked we just got on with work the next day - we didn't know what to do with ourselves!

Do you remember the badges, the T-shirts, the petitions, the letters and letters and more letters? The trips to Shute End, High Court, Crown Court, all hands on deck dismantling things that had to go, threat of prison, fear of closure, and many goodbyes to our friends in business and colleagues.

On the night there was no fight to have, there was simply a very reasonable debate and discussion and the result is a plan we feel that is fit for this piece of land, our community and the 21st Century.

Many, many thanks to the committee who voted for this fabulous plan, to Dr Stephen Conway Member for Twyford who facilitated a debate about the appropriateness of our plans which led to support and to all of you who have supported us again and again and again and lived and breathed and cried about this with us.

It's a fresh start, a new leaf! We might have to sell a few herbs & prims first though.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!

from all of us at Hare Hatch Sheeplands - especially Rob, Andrea, Andy, Kath & Nick

PRESS RELEASE on our website https://www.harehatchsheeplands.co.uk/planning-update-214108 which also shows the plans should you have missed the details.

IMAGE: Photo shows Rob Scott and Andy Dicks standing in the Cactus House - December 2021. Once we get everyone together in the same county, we will get the appropriate celebratory picture!