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The acquisition trail leads to...Scotland?
New Brochure...New Look Meadow View Stone
Oh dear – April was as bad as 2013 – official!
Cultivation Street to treble readership as Domoney switches to Sunday Mirror
Briers drives its North American expansion plans
Royal seal of approval for graduate entrepreneur who invented SeedCell
Thieves steal 8ft stag hedge from Notcutts garden centre
Briers' Gluvies photobooth boost for Greenfingers
Garden centre's green belt row to end up in court
#WorldNakedGardeningDay gets all fresh@burcot garden centre
Wyevale Garden Centres win gold for Malvern show garden
Hanging basket habits revealed by Thompson & Morgan
Squire's donate '80-year favourites' to Farnham park
Peter Williamson Travel Award for Pershore student
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Briers' gloves have the golden touch
Grafted plants are stars of Veg-2-Gro sales
Farmyard manure is a bestseller
Bents hand over £26k to cystic fibrosis charity
Juliana Oasis captures the imagination
BHETA recruits three more garden market suppliers
Lantra announces new trustee appointments
Landscape Trailblazer Apprenticeship Standards
Stunning iris and peony collections from Hawkesmill
Inside the May issue of Garden Trade News
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All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
Matthew Algie returns to the Caffè Culture Show at Olympia
Best ever Natural & Organic Products Europe
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Garden centre's green belt row to end up in court

The row over an enforcement notice served on the owners of Hare Hatch Sheeplands garden centre is to end up in court, following the local council’s rejection of a petition signed by thousands.

The garden centre was ordered to close a number of facilities in 2012 for green belt infringement. More than 10,000 customers and staff signed the petition asking Wokingham Borough Council to withdraw the notice.

But the council argued that as the notice related to a “planning decision”, it could not be reviewed. It then proceeded with an injunction against the owners and several of the concessions trading there.

The case was due to be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice on Thursday, this week but was postponed because both parties felt insufficient time had been allocated for the hearing, which is now likely to take place in June.

In a statement, the council said: “Unfortunately, the petition refers to an enforcement notice that has been deemed to constitute a ‘planning decision’.

“Under the council’s constitution, petitions which refer to ‘any matter relating to a planning decision’ cannot be accepted.”

Earlier, the council had turned down two planning applications designed to meet the enforcement notice conditions. The owners now intend to fight for a judicial review

A public enquiry into their appeal against the council's refusal to grant a certificate of lawful use for various activities on the site will be held on 6 September.

Owner Rob Scott said: “It is a kick in the teeth to the 10,000 individuals who have signed a petition calling on the council to grant us this certificate.

“Wokingham Borough Council seems hell bent on taking action which will close us down and which is totally against the wishes of thousands of the people who elected them into power.

“By taking this action the council has effectively found us guilty before we have even had the opportunity for our case to be heard by a government appointed inspector in September.”

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