PLANS to create a farm shop have been refused permission by the council.

Proposals had sought permission off the council for a shop at Sandy Lane Farm, Bold Heath, adjacent to Bargyloo Cottage, at Warrington Road. 

Applicant Mr R Owen had submitted the application to the planning department at St Helens Council.

A design and access statement in the plans, drawn up back in February, said that "vegetables and other foodstuffs" are cultivated on the land.

It added: "The proposal is for a farm shop to market these goods.

"The shop will be formed in timber with a steel structure. It will be finished with horizontal boarding stained brown. The roof will be green-coloured sheeting."

READ > Nightclub appeals against council's rejection of amended hours bid

Plans add the proposed shop would be five metres high, and the existing access off the A57 at Warrington Road, Bold will be used.

The application had attracted several objections from residents with concerns raised including highway safety, potential noise and air pollution, harm to the green belt and claims the development would be an eyesore.

Bold Parish Council also submitted an objection, which said there was "no reference to Bold Forest Park Area Action Plan"

It said: "It falls upon the applicant to provide reasoned justification for development within the forest park boundary" and added "Bold Heath farm shop lies less than 0.5 miles away, the applicant fails to demonstrate how this development would impact on a well-established business".

In a report recommending refusal, case officer Alex Ball stated: "The position and scale of the building would be at odds with the distinct rural character of the immediate locality".

It was added: "No very special circumstances have been put forward by the applicant which would outweigh the harm to the green belt arising from this proposal and the other harm including that to vitality and viability of the borough’s centres, visual amenity, tree and landscape, ecology, highways, and implications for underground water utilities. 

"Whilst it is noted some benefits would arise from the creation of jobs and investment into the local economy given the scale of the development and number of jobs created, this would only carry limited weight".

It was also said "it is not possible to identify the level of hedgerow loss from the development and whether appropriate mitigation, replacement planting and management of green infrastructure would be provided".

Planning permission was refused by St Helens Council.