Two quotes have stuck in my mind over this recently. One from the petition to save Piplings:

I'm wondering 'What would Lord Denning do in this situation?' ... my overwhelming feeling is that he would override the technical points of the case and instead do what is right and fair. Piplings is not a fast food business, a noisy haulage business business or a builders merchant. If the people that drafted the covenant were happy to have doctors or solicitors, why not a top rated nursery .....?'

and then this one, which has come up in conversation many times, referring to the fact that although the covenant does still stand, it doesn't have to be enforced:

"Just because you can, doesn't mean you should"