HEADLINE

GLOUCESTERSHIRE: Decision on motorbike showroom and cafe plans

SUMMARY

A Malvern firm’s plans to open a motorbike showroom, workshop and cafe at a former ladder factory and relocate to a Gloucestershire town have been given the go-ahead.

Motorbikes 4 All has been granted permission to change the use of the former LFI British Ladders manufacturing site in Newent.

After the merger with Lyte Ladders in 2023, LFI moved its manufacturing from the Horsefair Lane site to the Lyte Ladders site in Swansea.

The site which has around 5180sqm of floor space across several buildings has been vacant for some time and there are swathes of vegetation present, along with material piles of timber and wood.

Ben Fry, the general manager of Motorbikes for All, spoke about his firm’s plans at Tueday’s (September 9) Forest of Dean District Council development committee.

He said they would bring the empty site back into employment use.

“Our plan is to give it a new lease of life as a motorcycle showroom, a workshop, storage facility, and a small cafe for our customers,” he said.

“Importantly, we’re not changing the outside of the buildings or adding lighting, but simply reusing what’s already there in a way that makes sense.

“One of our biggest benefits here is jobs. We’ll be moving our whole operation from Malvern to Newent, bringing around 25 staff with us straight away, but we’re planning for growth, and based on our experience, we expect to reach around 75 jobs, potentially a few more, in the next three to five years.

“That means training, apprenticeships, skilled work, and more money being spent locally.

“The cafe is a very small part of the plans.

“It’s not a standalone business.

“It’s there to support people visiting the showroom, waiting for workshop jobs, and turning up for ride outs and so forth.”

He said the site’s opening hours would be from 7am to 8pm and there would be small occasional gatherings like open days or charity rides, and always during normal hours.

“We also know there are local concerns and we've tried to address them up front.

“The workshop work will all be carried out indoors, none of it outside.

“We've agreed a detailed noise management plan with environmental health, which includes things like keeping shutters closed during noisy jobs and routing deliveries to the rear of the site.

“This is about reusing a large employment site in a sustainable way, bringing skilled jobs to Newent, boosting the local economy and doing it in a way that respects the site, its neighbours and the policies in your Local Plan.”

Newent councillor Julia Gooch welcomed the development.

In a statement read on her behalf she said: “This proposal makes productive use of a century-old derelict manufacturing site that would deliver much needed employment opportunities.

“The conditions imposed must be robustly enforced to protect and allay the concerns of nearby residents.”

Councillors unanimously approved the recommendation to grant permission.