The owner of Hare Hatch Sheeplands in Twyford, Rob Scott, has withdrawn his appeal against enforcement notices issued by Wokingham Borough Council, bringing the end to an 18-month saga.
The saga started in October 2012 when Hare Hatch Sheeplands was handed an enforcement notice against 16 breaches of planning control.

The council believed the garden centre had expanded illegally on to green belt land and that the original horticultural nursery and disused greenhouses had been changed into a garden centre without permission.

The council also stated that permission had not been given for the garden centre to have retail and storage units, a cafe and other hot food outlets, a children's play area and additional car parking spaces.

Another enforcement notice was issued last year after an inspection revealed further breaches, which included the display and sale of building materials, barbecues, patio furniture and windows.

The planning appeal was due to start on May 13, but has now been cancelled after Mr Scott retracted his appeal against the enforcement notices.

In a statement Mr Scott said: "We are very pleased to announce that we have spent a lot of time and effort discussing matters with Wokingham Borough planning officials and our ward councillors for the last few weeks in the hope that we can resolve our planning dispute and get on with planning the next phase for the future of Hare Hatch Sheeplands.

"As part of this ongoing process we have withdrawn our appeal against the enforcement notice issued by the borough council. I have identified a way in which we can resolve the problem without compromising the council's green belt policy."

The council said in a statement that it recognised that Hare Hatch Sheeplands was a popular nursery which provided local employment, but that it has a duty to protect the area from harmful and unauthorised development.

Head of development management at the council, Clare Lawrence, added: "It has taken a lot of time and effort to get to this stage, but we are pleased with the outcome and that Mr Scott has indicated he is going to start complying with the enforcement notice."

Mr Scott had previously stated appealing against the enforcement notice could cost him £100,000 and potentially lead to the garden centre closing down with the loss of 100 jobs.

Diyweek.net previously reported that hundreds of people turned up to rally outside the council offices to show their support for Hare Hatch Sheeplands during a planning inquiry meeting in May last year.