[RonMinch]

Hi I was wondering if there is anything we can do to try and prevent out neighbour gaining planning for a large 2800sqft workshop to maintain there fleet of HGVs and trailers and third party vehicles. We are about to comment on the planning proposal on line but feel we could make a stronger case against this development. They do currently maintain HGVs on the site and have done so for many years despite not having planning permission. Two years ago he manager to buy farm land either side of his property. In his proposal he will erect the building partly on the agricultural and to the side of his property, surly this constitutes change of use and should be applied for separately. Does anyone have any thoughts? He already works late into the night and weekends using air tools and the like and I can only see increase should they get planning. This is an industrial activity and belongs on an industrial eastate

[ferretkeeper]

Hi Ron, this reminds me of something I saw on that BBC series about the Planners, maybe it's on iplayer still. Anyway there was a chap doing up big old trucks, unimogs etc as a hobby, big boys toys. He was eventually granted PP for a large shed to work in. There was no hint of commercial activity, yet the objecting neighbours were using the argument that it was commercial activity and therefore not suitable in a residential street.

I'd ask the local planning office how these activities are considered under planning laws etc. There may be some issue with the activities going on so long before hand unmentioned, has this ever been reported before? If so an enforcement officer might be aware, and hopefully give some weight to your case - assuming it is a change of use, and they haven't got permission to be doing anything now, let alone applying to increase the amount of industrial activity going on.

Photos, diaries, video footage etc may all help, as would something from Environmental Heath on the noise - there are restrictions to what noise anyone can make at certain times of day and night.

Good luck 

[lachlanandmarcus]

They need a licence to even park HGVs as a base there, let alone maintaining them on a commercial basis. Think it is annual. Do they have that? If not then objections from neighbours and doing it without a licence already will be frowned upon. ESP as HGVs have to be given a thorough going over every 6 weeks.


Unless they are private rarely used classic vehicles it is a tough job to get a new site licensed esp in the countryside so your issues will be taken seriously. NB if they have been doing it for a while and no one has formally complained, that won't help as they will argue it is just continuing in the new building.


Unless the HGVs ar agricultural machines, there would need to be change of use to industrial / motor