Agenda item

Application for proposed extension to self-storage unit (B8 use: storage and distribution).

Late items received after preparation of main agenda:

Introduction:-

Neighbours do not touch the red edged site boundary of the site and so did not need to be notified by letter but due to the level of interest letters of notification were sent out by the Council to neighbours along Church Lane as a curtesy. All letters, even late ones, were accepted & summarised

Consultations:-

Six further letters of objection have been received since the publication of the reports. They are summarised as below;

1^st late item summary from an objector

·                Fenny Drayton is a rural hamlet and the proposed is not in keeping with a rural setting.

·                The access road is narrow and has weight restrictions

·                Traffic will be increased through the village

·                Is this land of heritage interest being ridge and furrow land?

2nd late item summary from an objector

The points of objection made are similar to other points of objection already summarised & addressed in the report. Any new points have been summarised below:

·                The business advertises as being open 7 days a week from 7am until 8pm including Sundays and Bank Holidays.  However, vehicles are often visiting the site from  6.30am through to 10pm at night and later in the summer. Regular visitors on Sundays and Bank Holidays

·                The Traffic Statement when opened shows the title as Mill Lane, Oldbury as per screenshot attached and can therefore not be relied upon.

 (For clarity no planning restrictions were placed on any previous planning permissions that restricted opening hours/ customer access to the site.  The reception is only open for limited hours Monday to Friday with a half day on Saturday but the storage area itself is open 24/7)

3^rd late item from the agent with Competitor Analysis regarding time restrictions and an email to further clarify

·                Currently there are no planning restrictions on opening times but the applicant has established opening hours of 7am to 8pm, 7 days a week. The reception is open much less Why should an extension change this?

·                There have been no complaints regarding the current opening times

·                Being open 24/7 is important in terms of marketing and being able to offer the same as competitors. The majority of storage facilities within the area, such as Hinckley Storage offer 24/7 access to its customers

·                This is not to say that customers will access their storage at night. Evidence has been provided showing that the proposal will generate just 9 additional vehicle trips per day and that these trips will be spread across the day

·                Unrestricted access hours is simply an important selling point for the business as it gives customers peace of mind that they can get something if they really need it.

·                The reception hours are also unrestricted at present and the applicant had hoped that offering a limit on these would appease local concerns

·                The access hours that the applicant has set to date are 7am to 8pm, 7 days a week

·                As the self storage industry in the UK matures and becomes more competitive however, the applicant does intend to extend these opening hours in response to the demands of a select number of business customers e.g. musicians, DJs, event organisers, mobile mechanics, some retailers etc.

·                The applicant is also aware of local competition and the access hours other businesses are offering most of whom offer 24/7 access. This is an important marketing tool as it gives all storage customers peace of mind that they can access their things if they really need to.

·                A restriction on opening hours would make the business case for the extension more difficult to justify given that there is currently no hours restriction on the existing site and the applicant could eventually operate with 24/7 access.

·                The agent would also draw your attention to the officer’s report from the original planning application 11/00331/COU which stated, “The nearest residential properties are those on the edge of Fenny Drayton, to the east of the site. However as these properties are in excess of 180m away, there are considered to be no adverse impacts on their amenity in terms of noise or disturbance from the proposed use. Hours of operation have been proposed by the applicant however as the adjacent farm has an unrestricted use and due to the distance of the proposal from surrounding residential properties, it is considered unreasonable in this instance to impose an hours restriction. Accordingly, in terms of residential amenity the proposal is considered acceptable.”

4^th late item was a letter of objection.

The main summarised points of objection are:

·                There are already so many storage units in the near area

·                Drayton Lane is already a rat run between the A444 and the A5. This will make it worse

·                There is no room or a proper access for commercial vehicles

5^th late item was a letter of objection.

The main summarised points of objection are:

·                Increased volume & traffic flow through the lanes of the village will lead to incidents/ more danger on village roads

·                This development should be re-directed to a brown field site in an Industrial area

6^th late item was a letter of objection.

The main summarised points of objection are:

·                Traffic has been increasing steadily in recent years

·                There is no footpath on Old Forge Road

·                The Village needs affordable homes for its young people not self storage

Recommendation:-

Amendment to Condition 3

Further to an email received from the agent.

Condition 3: The operating hours of the storage facility shall remain as they are for the existing business with the reception hours being Monday to Friday 08.30 to 18.00 & Saturday 09.00 to 15.00 only & the interconnected facility (self-storage area) with no condition governing hours of operation.

Reason: To ensure there are no adverse impacts on the amenity of the occupiers of neighbouring properties and to ensure the visual amenity of the countryside to accord with Policies DM4 and DM10 of the Site Allocations and Development Management Policies DPD.

No further late items have been received.

Application for extension to self-storage unit (B8 use: storage and distribution)

The agent and a representative of the parish council spoke on this application.

It was moved by Councillor R Allen and seconded by Councillor C Allen that permission be granted. Councillor Bray requested that a condition be added to specify opening hours and Councillor Crooks requested an amendment to condition 4 to require any replacement trees and shrubs within the planting scheme to be native species. Councillor R Allen, seconded by Councillor C Allen, proposed an amended motion to include the aforementioned conditions. Upon being put to the vote, the motion was CARRIED and it was

RESOLVED – permission be granted subject to the condition’s in the officer’s report and late items and additional conditions specifying the opening hours and planting of native species of trees and shrubs.

Councillor Cook returned to the meeting at 7.42pm.