THE owners of the much-loved Bedwyn Village Bakery shop, which closed earlier this year, have applied for planning permission to turn it into a three-bedroom house.

After finding the bakery was not making enough money, couple David and Jackie Snell announced on their Facebook page they would cease trading in June.

They have now submitted plans to convert the shop and flat above it into a house and this month had plans approved to demolish the bakery outbuildings at the rear, used to make all the food, into another three-bedroom house.

For more than 100 years the bakery on Church Street, famous for its lardy cake, has been selling bread, cakes and pastries to villagers and has been a hub for the community.

However, after Gordon and Lesley Merritt retired from running the business for 30 years in February last year, new owners Mr and Mrs Snell found the bakery was no longer profitable and staff Viv Fox and Lorraine Barnett lost their jobs.

On site baking also stopped in July 2014, with bread being bought from local suppliers. The new planning application states this was because “no money had been invested into the bakery in the last ten to 15 years, so facilities were old fashioned, worn out and not very safe or hygienic.”

Great Bedwyn Parish Council recommended the plans to convert the outbuildings into a house be refused. They commented: “We disagree that the site is no longer viable as a commercial bakery. It is the mis-managment [sic] of the business that has resulted in the loss of business.”

However, Wiltshire Council granted planning permission on the basis it would “improve the economic, social and environmental conditions of the area.” They are expected to make a decision of whether the shop should be converted into a house next month.

The new application also states that since November Mr and Mrs Snell have put the bakery on the market with no potential buyers coming forward. They also tried various means of advertising to try and boost business. 

Bedwyn Post Office have now taken over selling bread at their own bakery department. 

Speaking before the shop closed Mrs Fox, 59, who was an employee for 30 years said: “I’m absolutely heartbroken its going. It’s never been a job, it’s just been a pleasure meeting lovely people everyday coming in, seeing children born and grow up and sharing lots of memories.”