THE owner of one of Cumbria's biggest and oldest garden centres has spoken out in support of a rival businessman who faces having to tear down his new extension.

Marc Charnley breached planning legislation and building regulations by creating a mezzanine level at Charnley's Home and Garden centre in Dalton, which has resulted in the unauthorised sales of household furniture.

The 43-year-old also enclosed the central courtyard and resurfaced the car park without permission.

As a result, Barrow Borough Council's planning committee this week agreed to enforcement action, which means that they have put out a notice to Mr Charnley calling for the building to be dismantled.

The public's response to the ongoing row is split, with some claiming the council should attempt to come to a compromise with Mr Charnley while others argue no one is above the law and the council would be setting a dangerous precedent to ignore a breach of planning law.

Now, Richard Hayes, whose family own Hayes Garden World in Ambleside, has enterted the debate in a show of solidarity to his rival.


Richard Hayes "This is deplorable, he is bringing employment to the area and is answering the needs of his customers," Mr Hayes, 48, told the Evening Mail.

"The council are asserting their authority but they're doing it in a very heavy-handed way – surely they would take steps to try and resolve this amicably before going down this road.

"It does make you wonder, if a company like BAE had done something like this, would the council be responding in the same way?"

Mr Hayes, whose family has owned the Ambleside centre for five generations, said he has visited Charnley's since the £1m extension was unveiled.

"OK he is technically a competitor of ours but I don't think they're being very fair to him," he added.

Mr Charnley spoke of his "confusion" as to how the situation had come about and said he was still waiting to hear from the council in light of the enforcement notice being issued.

He added: "As I've said before, we have put everything we have into this redevelopment of our site and it's devastating to think the council would rather undo all this than work with us to find solutions and a positive way forward.

"We believe we are an asset to the area and that we bring people here; that surely can only be a good thing.

"We will do everything we can to rectify the problems the council has raised, but we need full details on these and full communication from the council before we are able to do so."