A Shropshire firm of auctioneers has been dealt a blow in its bid to create new auction rooms at Shrewsbury’s livestock market after the plans were recommended for refusal.

Halls, based at Welsh Bridge, has submitted an outline application to allow it to create purpose-built fine art and general sale auction rooms in Battlefield to relocate its headquarters.

But planners have outlined a string of reasons why the proposals should be refused – including stating that Halls has given no evidence as to why it has chosen the livestock market as the best option for its new home.

The application is for a two-storey, 1,850 square metre building for use as a fine art and general sale auction room with storage and office space.

Halls says it has outgrown the Welsh Bridge offices and salerooms and it wants to establish Shrewsbury as a regional centre following the recent merger with national property company, Humberts.One letter of support has been received by Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council, however, the Campaign to Protect Rural England says it strongly objects to the proposal saying an auction house on the site is not justified and “further urbanisation of a site in the countryside is unacceptable and would impact on the landscape”.

The latest application, which will be discussed by SABC’s development control committee on January 8, follows two previous ones for the move, the first of which was withdrawn and the second of which was refused in December, 2006.

In the conclusion of a report to councillors, officers say: “Whilst the applicants have provided some justification as to why the business should relocate from the existing site, no evidence of any sequential style approach has been submitted in order to justify why the proposed location of the development has been chosen on a site that lies outside of the defined urban area as set out in the local plan.”

A report to councillors says the applicants believe there is “no evidence” to suggest the “viability and vitality of the town centre will be affected should Halls relocate”.

By John Kirk