Row over newly built barn ‘could cost jobs’, says Shropshire business,am
A Shropshire businessman claims he may be forced to liquidate his company if a planning dispute with Shropshire Council over a barn is not resolved
Alan Rawlinson says 14 jobs will be lost if he is made to tear down a barn at his farm in Whixhall, near Wem, after the authority refused planning permission.
He knocked down the original Dutch barn in 2016 and rebuilt it 100 feet away to run his scaffolding company from.
But Mr Rawlinson was not aware he needed permission from Shropshire Council to carry out the work and now planners have said the replacement barn contravenes regulations.
"As the business grew, I needed a bigger facility," he said. "I thought I may as well do it from home and decided to rebuild the barn that was already there a bit further away from my house.
"I read into it and didn't think I needed permission. I bought the most expensive barn so it was in keeping with the area. A modern one would have cost half as much but I wanted to keep it as close to the old barn as I could. If I had built a monstrosity I could accept it.
"As soon as it went up someone reported me for unauthorised building."
Ian Kilby, planning services manager at Shropshire Council, said the application had been refused because it did not provide the information required, including a flood risk assessment.
Mr Rawlinson added: "The original barn was there for at least 60 years so why would there now all of a sudden be a risk of flooding? I accept that you can't just build on a flood zone, but there has always been a barn there.
"It seems like there is no common sense being used here. No one from the council has even been out to see it, so I don't see how they can just refuse it."
Roving Bridge Farm Ltd, which offers a bespoke service in the construction of slurry and silage pits, primarily aimed towards the farming industry, was set up in 2005 when Mr Rawlinson moved to Shropshire from Liverpool.
It has gone from employing just three people to 14.
Mr Rawlinson said: "It's just frustrating from my point of view, and the workers' point of view. We're just trying to make a living."
He will now appeal Shropshire Council's decision.
