Home Business Network offers the cautionary tale of a lady who ran a small business from home in a town in Shropshire.  Twice a week a van delivered goods which she stored in her garage, and then sold online.  Royal Mail collected the products three times a week, and the company employed one other member of staff in the form of a part-time book-keeper.  The small business used one room in the lady’s house.

 

However, a dispute with a neighbour about a fence resulted in a visit from the Principal Planning Enforcement Officer at the local council.  The local council judged that the home business was breaching planning control as “the property was considered to be put to mixed use comprising residential and business use.”

 

As the level of business activity at the property was considered unacceptable for a residential area, the home business was forced to close within 28 days, despite offers to take all orders to the Post Office rather than have them collected.

 

The way to avoid these sorts of issues is by using one of the recently opened Hampshire and Isle of Wight Smarter Working Centres as a base for your small business.  Smarter Working Centres offer a drop-in, low-cost flexible office environment for micro businesses, and those who would like to work from home but need that bit more space. 

 

With a Smarter Working Centre, you do not have to worry that your neighbours will be disturbed by extra traffic on your street, or that you will have to pay business rates on a room in your home.  Three Smarter Working Centres have opened in Fordingbridge, Havant and Whitchurch, with four further centres opening in January, and others to follow during 2010.