a PLANNING application has been submitted to

Dartmoor National Park Authority for permission to rebuild workshops gutted by fire on the Old English Industrial Estate on the outskirts of Yelverton.

An application from site owner N S Oriental Ltd, app number 0306/22, is to rebuild Units 1 and 2 which were gutted by fire in the blaze in October.

Unit 1 will be extended slightly to create storage which is currently provided in a shipping container beside it. Both units were so damaged by fire that they had to be demolished and only the foundations now remain. There was also a proposal to split up Unit 3, which was only partially, to provide five smaller self-contained light industrial units.

A statement with the applciation said: ‘It is hoped that the provision of the smaller warehouse units will rent better as starter units, which will subsequently increase the opportunity for business and employment in the area.’

The fire-gutted units were home to The Pet Carpenter, a family business run by Harry Glover and his team, has now moved to new premises at Langage Industrial Estate near Ivybridge. Photos accompanying the application show the extent of the devastation. Eight fire crews attended the blaze at its height.

The business, employing seven at the time, who lost everything in the fire, including customers’ bespoke handcrafted furniture and all the tools and equipment.