Dear Friends,

PLANNING NEWS 16 APRIL 2012

We need your help! Can you support us in our current planning appeal?

Please note we have a poster is up in store showing our plans.  You can see it here:
Page 1 - planning drawing
Page 2 - pictures of how we have changed
Page 3 - time line of major changes & floral mile

We promised to keep you informed on the progress of our planning application and we now have a date for the appeal hearing.  It will take place at Wokingham Borough council starting on Wednesday 1st August and it is expected to last for three or four days.

As far as we can tell the only objections to our proposed improvements have come from Wyevale. They want to be represented at the hearing as something called an interested party.   This represents a complete change of relationship between the local garden centres. For many years we have all worked in harmony to support the Floral Mile tradition for which this area is famous.  We have never objected to any planning applications from other centres and they have not previously objected to ours. We have always worked well together.  But now Wyevale is a big national chain which has recently been sold to new owners so it makes us wonder whether the new boys are nervous of the competition.

We are not a big national chain. We are local owners offering local employment and a friendly local service to customers who, in many cases, have become good friends. We try hard to play a full part in the life of the local community. We are members of Twyford Village Partnership and do as much as we can to support local groups and charities as well as our schools.

So now we need your help to fight Goliath. Please pick up a form (or click below for pdf) which explains how you can contact the Planning Inspectorate and support our application.  Any member of staff can show you where they are. 

We want to provide indoor toilets, improve disabled facilities and the car parking area. We also want to improve the shopping facilities and remove some of the old buildings on site before they become dangerous.

If you believe this is the right thing to do then please fill in a form before the mid July deadline. In addition you do have the opportunity to contact the Planning Inspectorate direct. This form explains how.

Thank you for your help.


Rob Scott and Andy Dicks

Not sure about Half-hardy annuals or Perennials or even Biennials?

Have a look at our JARGON BUSTER!

Ericaceous shrubs such as rhododendrons and camellias will need a feed, with ericaceous fertiliser, when they finish flowering. These plants set their flower buds for next year during late summer so they need as much help as possible. Make sure the soil around them doesn’t dry out either.