West Buckland Stores planning application to Taunton Deane Borough Council

A planning application has been submitted to turn a village shop into a house, after a two-year attempt to make it profitable.West Buckland Village Stores has been running under its current owner since 2015 but now plans to turn it into a house to be sold are underway.It became apparent to owner Julie Bartram by the end of the first year of trading that the shop was mainly being used by residents buying newspapers, milk, and other non-expensive items.Miss Bartram made attempts to sell the shop and flat over the last 12 months, but prospective buyers said that there is not enough profit made for banks to finance, and that investors need more yearly profit to be able to staff the business.The business was also put before West Buckland Parish Council to run as a community store, but lack of support shot down the idea.The amount of profit made means that Miss Bartram does not have the funds to pay someone the national minimum wage, so if she ever needed time off the store would need to be closed.The plan to convert the shop into a home would incorporate the above flat, with minimal changes needed. The large shop window and door would be changed to reconstituted stone-work and a new window to match the first floor window.