Roger draws short straw (From Stroud News and Journal)

Roger draws short straw

A STRAW building was blown out by planners yesterday.

The proposal by Green Shop owner Roger Budgeon for a training and conference facility made of render and straw bales with a turf and solar panelled roof were deemed by Bisley-with-Lypiatt Parish Council as too 'avant garde'.

Stroud District Council rejected the plan, even though it had eight letters of support and the parish council supported it in principal.

Development control committee members agreed by eight votes to seven with the officer's recommendation to refuse the application because it would create extra traffic.

A sites inspection panel also agreed with the officer's advice.

Outside the meeting, ward member Cllr Lesley Greene expressed anger at the committee's decision.

"They are killing the countryside," she claimed. "Roger Budgeon employs local people and has had a commitment to the village for the last 30 years."