Plans have been approved for a new farmers’ market in a quiet and rural hamlet east of Thornbury. The market will operate for a maximum of three days a week, but neighbours living nearby raised fears over noise, smells and traffic.
The market is likely due to launch in March, opposite the Dobbies Garden Centre on Cutts Heath Road in Buckover. Up to 30 traders will be operating at the market, which will initially run monthly before becoming more frequent.
Buckovers, a family-run firm, was granted a street block trading consent from South Gloucestershire Council, during a licensing hearing on Wednesday, January 8. The market will be open from 10am to 4pm, which is less time than was initially applied for.
Speaking to the licensing hearing, Laura Hares, a neighbour who lives nearby, said: “We’ve lived near the site for 10 years, and so far the way the site has been managed has caused a lot of stress. We live in a rural hamlet, and we feel the way the site is being developed is in conflict to living in a quiet, rural hamlet off of a country lane.
“We’re all concerned in the neighbourhood that it’s out of character for a rural community. We could easily have litter from the fast food vans drifting down into our hedges. We’re worried about the traffic coming into the site and the extra cars on the road.”
Buckovers intends to open a garden centre on the site, and build a house for the family who run the firm to live there, too. The family currently live near Stroud, but are planning to move once the new house is built. They ran a test event last September, to gauge how well the site would work. Ms Hares said this caused pollution and noise, and wasn’t informed about it beforehand.
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Mitchell Bracey, director of Buckovers, said: “The application seeks to address the growing need for community space and local trading opportunities within South Gloucestershire, with significant housing growth in the area and limited recreational offerings. The site’s location minimises any noise impact.
“Food vendors will not use generators and all power required will be met within our site’s electrical infrastructure. During a successful test event in September, traffic flow and parking were sufficiently managed.”
The firm also eventually plans to open a farm shop, café and garden centre on the site. A previous licensing application was made to the council, but this was withdrawn after council staff made an administrative error.
Members of the public had submitted statements supporting the plans, but they were not told they should resend those statements for the second application. This means the letters of support were not presented at the licensing hearing, which Mr Bracey said was “a bit unfair”.