COUNCILLORS have refused permission for two houses to be built at the site of Bike Busters motorcycle sales and repair centre in Wootton Rivers.

The business, which has been operating from Forest Road in the village since 1986, is to continue a few miles up the road in Milton Lilbourne and Burbage.

Councillors at last Thursday's meeting of Kennet District Council's regulatory committee, which now deals with all planning and licensing matters, were concerned that the site had not been marketed sufficiently as an employment site.

Coun Jerry Kunkler (Pewsey) told the meeting that owner Barrie Lovelock is retiring from the business, and his son has taken it over.

He said: "Most of the people who work there don't live in Wootton Rivers so it will have no impact on employment in the village.

"Would our allowing an application for housing here open the floodgates for this kind of thing throughout the district?"

Planning services manager Brad Fleet suggested it would. He said: "There are lots of small sites like this around the district where people would rather see residential development."

Coun John Booth (Burbage) said he had never thought the site was a suitable place for the business and he referred to claims by the applicant's agents of the difficulties in insuring wooden buildings. He said: "I don't see how you could market it as a going concern. I can't help feeling it would be an improvement if there were two small houses there."

But Coun Rosemary Cummins said the fact that the buildings were in poor condition was no reason to get rid of an employment site.

The committee voted by seven votes to five to refuse permission in the interests of maintaining employment opportunities in rural areas.