OWNERS of a community garage are fighting to save their business in a battle with Wiltshire Council, urging them to u-turn its decision over an empty business unit.

Ricky and Claire Sumner are locking heads with county council chiefs over Castledown Business Park’s unit 6b, which they believe is the “perfect” place for their trade, but Wiltshire Council has refused to lease it to the couple due to them being in the motor industry.

Their business, RVS Garage Services, may be forced to close after 11 years as their current property on Andover Road, Ludgershall is being put for sale by their landlord, leaving the trade ‘nowhere else to go’ other than the business park.

Mr Sumner said: “We are not your normal garage, we are a village garage, we are a social hub, people come and have a cup of tea with us.

“We are next to a residential area and in 11 years I have not had one single complaint. Our business is so involved in the community if we move more than a mile out of the village centre we’re affected, we will be starting again.”

The family-run company, which works in a team of four, is lobbying Wiltshire Council to review the decision rejecting their company due to a clause in its unit lease contract excluding business in the motor trade.

While the Sumners have been appealing the decision made on 23 January, last week they started up a social media campaign, petition and lodged an official complaint to Wiltshire Council over the team handling the decision.

At Ludgershall Town Council meeting on Tuesday, Mr Sumner asked for help from local councillors.

He said: “We are struggling to get the unit on Castledown Business Park, it’s the perfect unit, perfect location, and it’s a small amount of red tape. They are going to put me out of business as there’s nowhere else for me to go.

“We have a perfectly good business park in perfect location with railway depot right behind, a piece of waste land and they reckon that site is too posh for my garage.”

Town councillors agreed they did not want to lose a business and will be writing to Wiltshire Council in support of RVS Garage Service’s case.

Town councillor John Hollis said: “These places have been empty for two or three years now surely the council is losing an awful lot of money.”

Devizes MP Claire Perry has also backed the Sumners’ campaign and appealed to Town Hall chiefs.

The garage owners say they put in an offer of £768,000 for a 20 year lease, and will be meeting with representatives of Wiltshire Council today to discuss the situation.

Wiltshire county councillor for Ludgershall and Perham Down Chris Williams said he is hoping for a positive outcome.

He said: “I’m hoping they will resolve the issue, I support Ricky and the garage as it is a great business in Ludgershall.

“I hope we can get something resolved so he can stay in this community.”

Wiltshire Council did not respond to comment before The Advertiser went to press.