A WEST Somerset village is to lose its last motor and MoT garage as the owner retires following ill health after 45 years in the trade.
George Brockis has run Stogursey Motors, next to the village shop in High Street, for nearly 30 years with his wife Clare but suffered a heart attack earlier this year.
After trying unsuccessfully for several years to sell the business or hand it on to employees, the couple have decided to apply for planning permission to convert the downstairs shop into a two-bedroom apartment to provide a retirement income on top of a three-bedroom upstairs flat which was currently rented out.
The couple also want to convert a small secondary workshop at the back of the property to a residential unit, although Mr Brockis said he might keep it as workshop space or rent it out, or develop and sell the plot.
He intended to keep the main workshop for his classic motorcycle hobby and to carry out light car repairs and restoration work.
During his career Mr Brockis has MoT’d every kind of motorcycle from 1912 Triumphs to Honda Fireblades, and owns about 10 motorcycles, including two Italian Moto Guzzi bikes.
Mr Brockis was an AA roadside patrolman for 10 years before starting the business in Stogursey.
He said: “This, we feel, will be the right moment we bow out.
“With my recent heart attack it is even more pressing and important that I slow down and finish full-time work.
“We are both exhausted from 30 years of hard slog, and deserve time out to start enjoying ourselves.
“When we are not sorting cars we both enjoy motorcycling, sailing, and walking.
“Early next year we want to attend a family wedding in Australia, giving us a good break and the chance to travel a bit.”
Mr Brockis said his heart attack was ‘a bit scary and definitely a wake-up call’, so it was even more pressing for him take it easy as soon as possible, or he would be risking further medical issues.
He said the plans were in the early stages, but he wanted to avoid rumours and uncertainty and would keep villagers updated as they progressed.
Mr Brockis said he was not leaving the village entirely unserved as there was another MoT garage nearby and without the constraints of ‘nightmare’ village centre parking
He said: “Various other small car workshops have come and gone over the years in the village, and we will still be here, but in a smaller way.
“We would like to thank all our wonderful customers from over the years for their loyalty and friendship.”
Stogursey Motors and the flat above it were being marketed for £395,000 plus inventory by Bridgwater-based Lyndon Brett Partnership.
A spokesperson for the partnership described it as ‘truly a recession-proof business in an idyllic location’ because construction of the nearby Hinkley Point C nuclear power station and the decommissioning of Hinkley’s A and B stations attracted thousands of workers and substantial wealth to the area.