A £400,000 venture by businessman Nick Priddy to redevelop his Brendon Service Station in Washford got the go-ahead by a single vote at West Somerset Council’s planning committee meeting last Thursday.

Members voted 5-4, with two abstentions, to give full planning permission for agricultural land to be used for a showroom and new garage with an MOT facility.

A two-hour debate was attended by over 50 members of the public, with objectors saying the development was too big and would cause flooding and traffic and noise problems.

But supporters welcomed a new local MOT station and improved facilities and said it would attract more business to the area.

The Priddy family have run the garage since the 1960s and now specialise in car sales and repairs, and the application received nearly 30 letters of support and 16 objections.

After the meeting he said: “I would like to thank everyone who supported the application. I am very pleased we can now go ahead with this exciting project.

“It is a sustainable development which will create jobs and will, we believe, be of great benefit to both the parish and wider area.”

The committee imposed conditions including drainage systems to prevent flooding, a five-year landscaping scheme, no external storage of tyres, and business hours of 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 3pm on Saturdays.

Planning officer Elizabeth Peeks said the development would employ five full-time and two part-time staff, compared to the current two full-time and one part-time.

Full report in the Free Press (February 15)