NEW owners of a former family garage in Wiveliscombe have been asked by Somerset Council to stop building work and apply for planning permission.

This news has come amid speculation in the town regarding the works, plus the fact they have applied for a 24 hour alcohol licence.

Residents expressed concern last week after local councillor for the Upper Tone Division on Somerset Council, Dave Mansell, explained that the council had asked the new owners to stop building work and apply for planning permission, as the garage is within the Wiveliscombe Conservation Area.

He said he had also submitted objections to the “controversial” 24 hour alcohol licence application, to be decided at a hearing on June 19, and it seemed surprising because of the residential area, and Wiveliscombe being a small town with little passing traffic.

Sterling Petroleum, the new company which took over the West Street Garage and has 20 forecourt and supermarket sites in England and Wales, explained to our reporter that they had been installing an above-ground diesel tank which they had not normally needed planning permission for elsewhere, but have now stopped work on it.

The existing garage and shop is planned to go ahead soon, and they said how they applied for an alcohol licence depended on the area, but there were no plans at the moment to open 24 hours in Wiveliscombe.

Owner Mr Theepan Nakendram told our reporter that the company had never come across the need for planning permission previously for an above ground tank they were installing, and had not realised it was necessary because this was a conservation area.

“We can still utilise the existing tanks and shop, as permission was already there before,” he said, and they hoped to open soon, once legal documents have been sorted out.

“We will also apply for planning permission for a larger store and the above ground tank, and hope to lodge a planning application at the end of this month.”

He also sought to allay concerns about the 24 hour alcohol licence, saying the company, which is based in Ragland, Monmouthshire, always applies for this as a matter of course, but its use would depend on the area, and there were no plans at the moment to open 24 hours in Wiveliscombe.

“We would probably plan to open until 9pm or 10pm,” he said.

Cllr Mansell said that if done well and account is taken of local concerns, plans for the garage could be good for Wiveliscombe.

“Proposals should be detailed in the application, there are a lot of important aspects to consider, such as parking in a safe location and where people can walk.”

The new company will be taking on existing staff and introducing an extra super grade of petrol, and a Morrisons Daily is planned for where the previous workshop stood.

The previous garage, Jones Automobile Engineers, closed in April after over a hundred years as a family concern.