A BUSINESS is celebrating after councillors gave traders the green light to use its premises - despite officer advice to turn down the proposals.

Seal's Cove at St Andrew's Trading Estate in Shoe Lane, Bridport, was granted approval to use the building for three years to allow traders to sell goods.

The business is now pushing forward with plans for a play area including a climbing wall, as well as a nursery and a café to run alongside the existing space for traders.

Caroline Croucher, manager of Seal's Cove, said: "The most important thing is that we want to stress how thankful and delighted we are to the planning committee for coming to the right decision.

"We want Seal’s Cove to be the go to place for families of all ages - having somewhere to sit and have a relaxing coffee and meal, be intrigued by our range of vintage, antique and collectables, and have the most fantastic play area for children to enjoy."

A report to councillors by West Dorset District Council planning officer Hamish Laird had recommended that the committee refuse the retrospective application as it went against local planning policy and that only a handful of jobs had been created. But councillors voted in favour of granting permission to the business for a three-year period.

The decision notice states: "But for the personal circumstances of the applicant in this case, the application would be contrary to the provisions of Policy ECON2 - Protection of key Employment Sites - contained in the West Dorset, Weymouth and Portland local Plan.

"A temporary use class A1 (shops) permission for a three-year period is acceptable in this case as an exception, given the circumstances surrounding it."

The company had argued that another company had taken out a three-year lease on the building last year and spent £50,000 to refurbish the premises.

In a planning statement on behalf of Seal's Cove, Paul Dance said the traders were faced with an uncertain future.

He added: “The lessee then went ahead and rented the building to multiple retail tenants without applying for planning permission.

“Our client then found he had problems in terms of the fact the development had been undertaken without planning permission.

“After some months the lessee walked away. This left my client with 50 sub tenants; traders, who were all very worried that they would be thrown out with nowhere to go."