PLANNING permission has been granted for Stogumber’s volunteer-run village shop and Post Office to move next door to its current High Street premises, just as a fund-raising appeal beat its target.

The community benefit society plans to buy 4 High Street and have the new shop trading by March of next year.

But it needs to raise £350,000 to cover the cost of the project, of which the £188,400 purchase price of the property was needed by the end of last month.

This week, the society announced the appeal had brought in more than £190,000 with more than 140 people either buying shares or making donations to the project.

A society spokesperson said: “We cannot expect the owners of No 4, who have kindly given us this summer to raise the funds for the favourable sale price agreed, to wait any longer.

“If we miss buying 4 High Street, the shop and Post Office do not have a viable long-term future.

“We have no reason to expect a more suitable and affordable location to become available.

“Once we have all the planning applications and building consents are in place and having made the purchase, we will have to find the money to make alterations and refit the shop.

“Grants to cover these costs are being applied for.

“However, these will undoubtedly take a while to come through.

“Any excess raised over and above the purchase price, therefore, will allow us to proceed with works immediately.

“This is a genuine community effort for the benefit of all the community and will benefit not just us but our children who will still be able to walk safely to the shop to spend their ‘pocket money’ and we can still all pay our bills and post our parcels.

“The shop provides a good range of well-priced food and household goods, supportive access to postal and financial services, prescription medicine collections, and social contact and support.

“It is especially valuable to people without cars, elderly, and vulnerable people.”

Somerset Council has now granted consent for the necessary alterations to the neighbouring property, which is a listed building.

It means the society has three years in which to start the work, or the permission will lapse.

Dr John Withrington thanked council conservation officer Kerry Kerr-Peterson for guiding the society’s application for listed building consent and Sarah Wilsher for smoothing the journey for a change of use application.

Volunteers have run the shop since April of last year, taking it on when owners Roger and Anne Howe retired and were unable to find a buyer to keep it going.

However, the property included a four-bedroom residential space and a garden which were not needed for the shop and Post Office business but could only be accessed through the premises.

The building next door was identified as cheaper and simpler to maintain but needed permission for minor demolition and construction work, including removing a staircase to increase the retail area and building one in a new rear extension.