SAVE HARE HATCH SHEEPLANDS

This is very bad news and the loss will be felt by my family and many in the community - we are also very sorry for all those at HHS who will be directly affected.
Yvie Parsons

My son and I come all the way from Wendover in bucks to go to this nursery as he loves it so much. I can't believe that the council would want to close down such an inspiring place

I am a widow and live not too far from Hare Hatch. There are times I feel quite lonely and bored. On these occasions I go to Sheeplands Hare Hatch and have a good mootch around. Because there is so much to see I can easily pass the odd lonely morning and quite enjoy doing so. Please don't close it. It has so much to offer. Jean Blake

Unbelievable and shameless disregard for the community and our wishes. We already have so little in terms of quality, independent stores that to lose this would be devastating. Please WBC, reconsider!

When are WBC ever going to learn that sometimes local communities are all the better for having a business which support/encourages the area of Twyford.

Wokingham Borough Council have once again put their heads in the sand. If they think town traders are going to lose business they oppose any enterprise that is not in the town.I along with many others welcome the opportunity to travel away from Wokingham to shop with all the road closures and building work that never ends. Elms Field development is a disaster waiting to happen, the town planners DO NOT LISTEN to the public as to what is needed. Sheeplands is an asset, think again WBC.
David Sherwill .

Local business that supports the local area and offers local produce. Why do we want to lose that? We don't, we should be encouraging it.

As a member of Thames Vallet Orchid SocietyI am conviced Hare Hatch has been by far the best for our annual orchid show and greatly admired by many visitors and growers .It would be a great loss if having just found such a suitable venue we were now to mloose it and a great loss to the community as a whole
Michael Handcock

It would be a real shame to lose Sheeplands; it is a gem in the area and so lovely to be able to visit a family run garden centre selling different and interesting items not found it the corporate, chain garden centres. The staff are friendly and seems to really care. Please , please, please help Sheeplands to remain a viable business and a worthy alternative to the run of the mill corporate garden centres.

I am a local childminder- we use sheep lands to show the children the animals and life cycles- while also enjoying the fabulous summer outdoor area we had last year. The children will really miss out on these opportunities should it close.

I do not understand the council at all it is a great local amenity. It is so different from the standard chain garden centres, I always find something different there. We have two Wyevale's a short drive away and they are like every other garden centre. Please WDC think again and support local enterprise.

It would be a travesty if this garden centre closes. It makes no sense why would WBC want to cause loss of local jobs, destroy charity fundraising and the pleasure it gives to local families and residents? I urge WBC to think again and realise what a great asset HHS is to the local community.

Why close Sheeplands down? It generates lots of business and jobs for the area! Sheeplands is a garden centre lots of my friends and neighbours enjoy visiting. Always greeted with a friendly face and great service.

Whilst I appreciate that planning permissions have a purpose to protect the public interest and ideally procedures should be followed, I do not believe that the public interest was at all threatened by the activities of HHS. I think retrospective approval would have been appropriate in this instance and that WBC has been over zealous, and has ignored the positive impact to the community that HHS has had.

It would be a great shame if Hare Hatch closes. I actually live in Bracknell, but have often travelled over to Hare Hatch with my husband, daughter, and granddaughter. My granddaughter enjoyed seeing the farm animals and has enjoyed playing in the children's area where it is nice and safe. I have also enjoyed buying local produce from the shop. I think if the garden centre closes there will just be more soulless houses on the land. Please let Hare Hatch stay. Wendy Roberts.

My son has been a victim of WBC's ill-considered strong-arm tactics to prove a point, and has lost his weekend job. His job provided a beneficial outlet/activity/break at the children's play area, and WBC officials should be ashamed of the negative impact of their action. They are supposed to support initiatives that benefit the area and community, not destroy them ... WBC's action here has really eroded my previously-held good opinion of the work that WBC do.
We pay very high council taxes, and WBC have obviously wasted resource in pursuing this action - not impressed.

Who's agenda has WBC been following?
In my opinion, it certainly isn't the local residents and businesses ... isn't that who they should be supporting and representing?
WBC has made a dreadful mistake, and should (finally) show some good sense and reverse their refusal decision.
Why waste more time, effort, and money on this very poor decision?

Please allow it to stay in it current format with everything it has to offer to families, individuals and to the local community. Its an icon for the area and would be such a shame to see it close or not provide the variety and services it does today.Lucy

Sheep lands is such great place not a chain like everyother garden centre, the staff all seem to care and know what they are talking about which is a rare asset these days and a true compliment to the company. I have young children who love to go and see the animals and play which I also enjoy with the added benefit of looking around the garden centre and farm shop.
I cannot see how anyone or anything can benefit from the councils decision. A friendly local business which will be greatly missed.
I truly hope something can be done.

HHS has been an enterprising village business, which has grown over a number of years, providing quality products. It provides employment and aids local charities. Why is WBC insistent on destroying something of great value not only to the Twyford community but to others who choose to visit from other areas. How does WBC propose to fill the gap this will leave in our community - simply it won't, because it seems that Twyford is never high on the priority list for any development or support - the library is a prime example. So please WBC don't destroy all the good that HHS has done for us and would continue to do if you could just see yourselves to being a little more flexible and working to achieve a solution. Surely WBC should be supporting our community and not destroying what little Twyford has to offer.

This is one of the best local businesses we have ever known, with something for everyone. Our grandsons love the play area and animals and our Downs syndrome daughter really enjoys our visits, especially the animals and restaurant, which by the way serves the best quality freshly cooked food. You would not get a harder working, nicer bunch of people anywhere than the owners and staff of Hare Hatch Sheeplands. We live in Basingstoke and especially travel up at Christmas to bring our grandsons to see Santa, lovely and traditional and all for charity. We have a holiday caravan a few miles up the road from Hare Hatch and visit the garden centre every weekend. We have furnished our garden with their lovely garden furniture and their plants are the freshest and best looked after of anywhere. We're always given a warm welcome and greeted by the staff and owners, and everyone is so pleasant and friendly. We always think of it as a treat and a morning or afternoon out to visit HHS, and our weekends will never be the same again if they have to close. It's not as if its causing more traffic either as its on the main A4 which has loads of pubs anyway and its next to a Countrystore. Why would any one be so narrow minded to want to spoil this amazing family business and deprive so many customers of locally produced andexcellent quality products? Is there no common sense left any more? How come its ok to give permission to build three massive new houses along the Burchetts Green road, which will only benefit 3 families, whereas HHS benefits thousands of people year after year? There's no rhyme or reason to it, its bureaucracy gone mad. SAVE HARE HATCH SHEEPLANDS.

I totally support Hare hatch Sheeplands , it's many different features make it unique and vital for the local community. I urge WBC to negotiate with them sensibly.

Please save our local garden centre. They have supported my children's primary school whenever we have asked for help. Their farm shop is also fantastic with some amazing gluten-free options, which is fantastic for local coeliacs. They are also brilliant at employing local youngsters and giving them the opportunity to work.