A mobile farm shop has hit a roadblock in its plans to serve the wider community.
Bull Ring Farm Shop in Ludlow, which aims to bring fresh produce to residents who struggle to access its physical store, is unable to launch the service due to regulatory hurdles.
The shop, run by Evans Family Grocers and Lizzie’s Layers, opened earlier this year next to The Bull Hotel and focuses primarily on fruit and vegetables, alongside a selection of other essentials.
James Evans, who co-owns the business with David Powell, said: "We're trying to progress a mobile shop to help people who can’t necessarily get to us or get up the steps.
"We’re trying to provide a community service.
"We’ve been to Services [Committee] once and been to Full Council.
"We’ve come all the way back and it’s quite frustrating, especially when on numerous occasions there’s ice cream vans pulling up anywhere, causing very unnecessary obstruction for little purpose at all.
"At the end of the day, we’re trying to provide something to help the community.
"I need to know what you [LTC] need from us to progress this further."
The proposed mobile shop would operate three days a week, stopping for around 30 minutes at each site across the town.
Ludlow Town Council has expressed support for the plan, recognising its potential social and economic benefits, but has said policy changes must go through a formal process involving consultation and due diligence.
Town clerk Gina Wilding explained that designated routes and stopping points must be identified and approved by Shropshire Council before a policy amendment can be made.
A council report noted that the only streets currently authorised for mobile trading in Ludlow are in the town centre, limiting options for reaching residential areas such as Sandpits, Foldgate and Fishmore.
Councillor Kathy Howell said: "There are an awful lot of people in the town who do have difficulty getting to the shops, so it’s in the interests of everybody if we get this sorted out."
The town council’s Policy and Finance Committee has approved the proposal.
The next step is to work with Shropshire Council and the farm shop to identify suitable streets for the mobile service.
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