PLANNERS have give the green-light to reopen a village store in the heart of Chudleigh Knighton.

The application - reference 26/00142/FUL - sought permission from Teignbridge Council to reopen Chudleigh Knighton Village Store, pictured.

And Teignbridge Council have granted planning permission.

‘The development hereby permitted shall begin before the expiry of three years from the date of this permission’, the council said.

The proposal sought to re-open the store, on a smaller scale, with on-site accommodation.

And, according to the design and access statement for 26/00142/FUL, this was deemed to be the only way to make running such a shop, in this small community, viable.

However, Hennock Parish Council, while supporting the reopening of the village shop, objected to the proposal, saying that the proposed shop floor, measuring 15.89 metres squared, ‘is not a viable retail space’.

‘With the growth in the village, for example, the development at Turnpike Fields of 60 houses, we would like to see a proposal for a more viable larger shop’, the council said.

The village store and former Post Office in the village has been shut for more than three years after the previous owner deemed it not viable to run such a large shop in a small village.

The design and access statement goes on to say: ‘Chudleigh Knighton is a fast-growing community, with many new houses being built, & many more planned, around the village.

‘This new venture would compliment the community and make the shop a go-to place for the residents to obtain their every-day essentials, especially the elderly, without having to travel.

‘This would also aid their well-being, & bring a greater sense of community back to the village.’