Village shop is given go-ahead

From the archive, first published Friday 20th Jun 2003.

COALEY Shop and Post Office Association has finally achieved the necessary clearances to establish a community shop in the village.

Association chairman Dudley George said: "We are very grateful to all those who kept faith and encouraged us to carry on, including our MP, David Drew, and our county councillor, Margaret Nolder. Finally we are getting somewhere."

The two-year legal delay has a silver lining, however. A portable building is now about to become redundant at Coaley Primary School and is to be transferred to the recreation ground, to be used as a temporary shop until a hoped-for new village centre for Coaley, including a shop, can be built.

Now there is definite go-ahead the association will be calling on all villages who offered their help when the project was originally launched. Builder Ron Plumb will be involved in the major task of dismantling the building and moving it from the school to the recreation ground.

"Unfortunately", he told the Gazette, "there is almost as much work involved in moving the building 250 yards as if it were to travel 250 miles."

The move is planned to take place in September as soon as pupils have occupied the new permanent classrooms currently being built.

It is hoped that the shop will be fully fitted out, stocked and opened in the autumn. It is intended the shop will also contain an internet cafe and offer catering for sports events on the recreation field.

"We are determined that this will be a successful and popular amenity for all the village," said Mr George.

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