TWO business partners who fought planners for two years have got their way - and work begins today building a brand new farm shop in North Yorkshire.

Former farmers Sam Blacker and Stuart Beaton started Ainsty Farms Direct as a farmers' co-operative bringing local meat and produce to the community.

They have yearned for a place of their own since they started renting their existing shop at Skip Bridge, between York and Harrogate, four years ago.

The site they chose for their £300,000 investment 400 yards away from the Skip Bridge filling station on the A59, proved controversial.

One major objection was made about its position near other businesses, but this was countered by hundreds of letters of support from customers and suppliers and a petition of 400 signatures.

The 3,000sq ft single-storey premises will be designed as open plan so that the butchers and bakers will be in full public view.

Built by S & B Construction, of Harrogate, the premises are expected to be open by mid-October ready for the Christmas rush.

Sam, 57, said: "Our victory will allow us to bring to the public an even greater range of fresh local produce, including meat which is our core business, all of which are sourced within an eight mile radius.

"We are exceptionally proud of our old fashioned approach to butchering which entails hanging the meat in our own cold rooms rather than maturing it in plastic bags.

"We also prefer to cut it to customer requirements on site. We're butchers not meat salesmen. And yes, there will be sawdust on the floor."

The original Ainsty Farms Direct was launched at the Tockwith Agricultural Show in 1998 by six local farmers.

But restraints on time for some of them meant that Sam and Stuart bought the remainder out and took over the running of the venture.

Sam said: "Demand continues to exceed all expectations with turnover increasing 25 per cent year on year, which gave us the confidence to build our own base."

Their confidence was also given a boost two years ago when Ainsty Farms Direct won the Greengrocer Of The Year title in the Evening Press "Eat Local" Awards and in the same year was a finalist in the Retailer Of The Year category in the Evening Press Business Of The Year Awards.

Updated: 11:09 Monday, April 25, 2005