THE owner of a Wantage garage that has been running for 70 years has said it is a “tragedy” he is having to sell it for flats.

Richard Shepherd, managing director of the Motorlux chain, has applied for planning permission to convert his Newbury Street Volvo dealership into 14 flats.

He said Volvo cancelled the franchise two years ago because there was no longer a market for the brand in Wantage.

The shop, which has operated as a garage since the 1940s when it was run by the Pegler brothers, closed its doors to the public on December 1.

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Mr Shepherd, 52, who lives in Wantage, said: “It is a tragedy. For me it has been a real wrench, after all these years changing hands and selling Volvos since 1988.

“It was a good business for us but their market share for Volvos has reduced.

“Without a franchise, we can’t make the business work so commercial usage of this facility is becoming harder.”

The Newbury Street branch is still offering Volvo repairs and maintenance, and Mr Shepherd is hoping to move that operation to his Wallingford Street branch.

He said he has had some kind of business connection with the Newbury Street site for 36 years, rising to manage the Motorworld group that used to own it. He founded his own company Motorlux and taking it over in 2009.

Conflicted about selling the site, he said he spent two years looking for other potential business uses, but could not find one that would be viable.

He has applied to Vale of White Horse District Council for permission to demolish the garage and build eight two-bedroom homes, five two-bedroom flats and a one-bedroom maisonette.

Building homes on a business site has proved controversial. Wantage and District Chamber of Commerce chairman Michael Dale said: “I think we need to keep as much commercial space as we can. But, if Richard can’t make it work, I don’t know if anyone can.

“I know he has been concerned to try to maintain it as a commercial space but at the end of the day the chamber is about commerce, and we accept a business has to do what it can to keep going.”

Wantage Town Council has officially objected to the planning application, saying the homes were of “poor design”.

Councillor St John Dickson said the main objection was that the buildings were too tall.

He added: “I don’t have any strong objection to it becoming homes, but it is a shame to lose the opportunity to expand the commercial centre of town, especially with all the new houses coming in.”

About 5,500 new homes have been granted planning permission at Grove Airfield, Crab Hill north of Challow and smaller sites such as Stockham Farm.

The Vale is due to make a final decision on the planning application by February 2.

 


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