OVER-the-counter medicines can now be sold at a Meltham chemist.

Rowlands Pharmacy, based at the health centre at Station Road, could only get planning consent for prescriptions and could not sell medicines and other goods when it opened in summer, 2002.

The problems arose when Rowlands moved away from Huddersfield Road in the village centre.

Councillors said the new site was an edge-of-town development where there should be restrictions to protect the viability of the village centre.

The restriction on selling only prescription items meant that retail goods such as decongestants and cold cures could not be sold.

But now a new application by South Huddersfield Primary Care Trust on behalf of Rowlands has been successful in securing temporary permission for retailing.

Kirklees Council's Huddersfield Planning Sub-committee decided retail goods can be sold for six months.

Staff will be working over the weekend to stock new shelves and the pharmacy should be fully operational by Tuesday .

Rowlands' area manager David Capstick said: "Once we have completed the six months and everybody sees how worthwhile it is, we'll just keep re-applying and will keep rolling forward every six months."