Green light to convert rural Derbyshire property into a market garden

The owners of the address in Oxcroft, near Clowne, applied to Bolsover District Council for a change of use proposal at the Oxcroft Estate, Oxcroft Lane, as well as convert part of the site into car parking.

A planning report states: “The buildings and site have historically been used as a mixed residential/small holding prior to the change of use which has recently occurred.

"The proposed use only employs the occupiers of the dwelling on site and is an expansion of a market garden which includes selling flowers and arrangements produced on site, together with eco-friendly refillable household products and bread, cakes and chocolates by local producers.

“Sales take place online and collections from site are pre-booked. There is also a small stand on the site frontage which has flowers to be bought by passers buy.

"Some of the flowers are grown on site, some are bought in. One of the buildings is used for preparing flowers, one is for storage of products and one is used for holding workshops for flower arranging.

"The use of the site as it currently exists is considered to represent a small scale rural enterprise which is of a scale which is appropriate to its surroundings and will help support a sustainable rural economy.”

It adds they are restricting the use of the site and limiting the retail use of the site because if the use of the site is unrestricted it may potentially expand into a business which does not require a rural location