Change of use to B8 Brickyards

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Overview

The owner of the Brickyards Industrial Estate in the hamlet of Steep Marsh has submitted a request for change of use.

The requested change is to B8 – a category that includes STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION, amongst other things.

This application has been caused by the Planning authority being unable, incapable, reluctant to enforce the current planning regulations.

The issues at hand are:

1. Very few of the units are operating within the current regulations
2. The site is used regularly outside of the permitted hours of operation 
3. The site is generating a great deal of noise, in some instances as early as 05:30 on Sunday mornings
4. The current usage has generated significantly more traffic

Storage and distribution typically involve Heavy Goods Vehicle movements to self-storage facilities which then use cars and small vans to further distribute.

• If planning application goes ahead the floodgates are open for other units to also apply for B8 status, This would allow storage and distribution from the industrial estate and will result in a significant increase in traffic including HGV delivery. Even though there is a limit on the size of vehicle coming into Steep Marsh it is not being enforced.

The SMRA (Steep Marsh Residents Association) funded a traffic survey last summer. This survey highlighted traffic has increased by 43% in the last 5 yrs.

The SMRA has also funded a Planning Consultancy to review the situation. A copy of the objection can be downloaded here.

The Planning Consultant conclusions are:

1. The application is prejudicing our interests and placing us at a significant disadvantage as there is insufficient supporting information for the application to be judged appropriate.
2. The request for change of use is “sidestepping” the formal planning application process
3. The formal process requires significantly more information to justify a number of requests or “statements” present in the application

In addition, the application states that a letter from a Senior planning officer quotes that the current usage is causing minimal harm. This is without discussion with any of the residents in the hamlet, there is NO information supporting this viewpoint and doesn’t mention that the site has had an enforcement notice served.

Implications

We believe the following will cause significant further harm to our quiet enjoyment of living in Steep Marsh:

1. Working Hours – This condition is already regularly breached.
   
   1. “The premises shall not be used outside the hours of 07:00 to 19:00 Monday to Friday, 07:00 to 13:00 Saturday and at no times on Sunday, Public or Bank holidays.
   2. Reason: To ensure that the amenities of the (area/adjacent property) are not detrimentally affected by the use of the site outside reasonable working times.”
2. Noise – The current site regularly breaches the working hours thus causing excessive noise at antisocial hours – a change of use can only make this unsustainable in a small rural hamlet.
3. Traffic – The increase in traffic over the last 5 years is already excessive at 43%.  With a change of use this will only be exacerbated.

Summary and conclusion

The following content is from the consultancy report

“The proposed B8 use is materially different to that permitted under the current operational planning consent. However, by being invited to lodge an application under S73 the applicant has side-stepped the requirement to submit the full range of supporting documents needed to properly assess the impact of the proposal. The LPA should decline the proposal to amend Condition 10 to include this new use and restrict the changes to only make reference to Use Class E.

Any proposal for a new use class in this location should be determined through the submission of a full planning application and a full suite of supporting documents including a noise impact assessment and Transport Impact Assessment. Notwithstanding this, we are of the opinion (for the reasons outlined above) that any planning consent for Use Class B8 on this site should be refused.”

What we need:

We need you to object using the information in the letter and the above set of statements

Planning Consultancy letter

(Link to application and page to object on)

Link to traffic increase overview (for access to the full data set from survey please contact the below email address)

How to object

For any queries please contact [email protected]