A grant of up to £5,000 from the Suffolk Rural Services Scheme will help towards the cost of converting a garage/stable block into a new village store and post office for people living in Ufford.
 
The owner of a property in Loudham Lane came forward with a proposal to convert part of his premises into the local store when the old store closed in September.
 
“When the old store and post office closed John Adcroft, a local resident, decided to investigate the possibility of converting his existing garage/stable block to provide this much-needed service,” said Cllr Ray Herring, Chairman of the Suffolk Coastal Local Strategic Partnership.
 
“Mr Adcroft was successful in obtaining planning permission for the conversion and applied for a grant from the Suffolk Rural Services Scheme towards the cost of the building works, which will incorporate disabled access, and buying the necessary refrigeration equipment. Mr Adcroft hopes to open the shop early December with the post office service being available from mid-January,” added Cllr Herring.
 
The Suffolk Rural Services Scheme offers business and funding advice and grants of up to £5,000 towards meeting half the project costs of any proposed expansion or improvement of an independent rural business.
 
It also has a community section that will fund essential rural community services such as childcare provision or maintenance of village halls.
 
“This is the second successful local application since the scheme was re-launched this year. Alderton Peninsula Pantry and Post Office Store recently received a grant of £3,600 towards the cost of improving his facilities.
 
“With the decline of access to services in rural areas both nationally and locally the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) has made this one of its key issues. This decline is not inevitable and businesses, with assistance to make improvements and with the support of their community, can reverse this trend,” added Councillor Herring.
 
This county-wide scheme has been made possible thanks to grants from the East of England Development Agency, as well as Suffolk Coastal LSP, district and borough councils with rural areas such as Suffolk Coastal, Suffolk County Council and the Suffolk Development Agency.
 
Anyone wanting to find out if they are eligible for help can contact Stephen Watt or Dawn Smith at Suffolk County Council on 01473 264832 or 01473 264817 or by email or follow this link for more information.