Grand designs refused for storage containers
VILLAGERS REJOICE AS PLANS TO FIT EIGHT SHIPPING UNITS IN FINDERN REJECTED
PEOPLE living in a Derbyshire village are “elated” that a firm’s controversial plans to use huge steel containers to store car parts dubbed “not Grand Designs worthy” have been thrown out by council officers.
The controversial application, which would have seen four shipping containers used to store car parts for a salvage business and four others for rental, attracted three petitions containing 600 signatures and more than 300 letters of objection.
The applicant, referred to only as Mr Iqbal, asked for permission from South Derbyshire District Council to lay hardcore to stand the large containers in Findern, causing outrage among locals.
His application included a request to allow him to park cars and place eight 20ft by 4ft storage containers on land off Sycamore Avenue.
One objection to the plans said the development would be contrary to two of the authority’s policies because, “it would not be well designed, embrace the principles of sustainable development or reflect the rural, quiet, natural village area. Not exactly Kevin Mccloud worthy.”
Kevin Mccloud famously fronts Channel 4 programme Grand Designs, which features unusual and often amazing architectural homebuilding projects.
Other angry villagers were concerned about wildlife on the site; and that the containers would be ugly and detrimental to the character to the area. They also say there would be noise and dust from the site and that it was in a high flood risk area.
There were also highway problem claims which led to an objection from Derbyshire County Council’s highways team.
It said the existing single access would not be acceptable if the eight storage containers were to attract different users and businesses, which were likely to use vehicles larger than a standard car.
The council’s own environmental health officer also objected saying there was, “insufficient information” and precision by which to inform planning conditions to control operational hours, noise exposure limits, dust control standards, prohibitions on activities like bonfires and constraints on types of plant or machinery permissible for the site.
The district council’s cultural services (cemeteries) officer objected over concerns that noise from the site could impact the peace and quiet of families and people nearby cemetery.
It was also revealed that Findern Parish Council and other groups had raised “tens of thousands of pounds” to buy the land for use by villagers and visitors to Findern as a community asset.
Mr Iqbal has been contacted for comment but his agent JMI Planning, which submitted the plans on his behalf, said in a report to the planning committee that the units would be used by the applicant’s brother, who operates a vehicle salvage busivisiting the ness from Burton, which comprises a salvage yard where vehicles are stripped and parts are stored.
The report said the business had outgrown the current location and there was a pressing need for additional storage space.
It added the land had not been used for any purposes for quite some time and consequently had been left to become overgrown and appeared unkempt. It claimed no vehicles will be taken apart on site as this work element would take part at the main yard in Burton.