“Enough is enough” was councillors’ response to two industrial applications.
Four condition amendments to the Beeston Timber Yard’s planning permission were discussed by Central Beds councillors at a meeting of the development management committee on Wednesday (November 21).
The councillors agreed to two of the applications but felt that the change of hours requests were a step too far.
There have been numerous applications for variations of the planning conditions since the original application was approved earlier this year.
This time the application asked to be allowed to operate from 8am to 4pm on Saturdays instead of only on weekdays and also to operate for an hour longer in the evenings on weekdays, until 7pm.
The company has said that this will allow them occasional flexibility of working hours when required.
Councillor Nigel Aldis, whose ward includes Beeston, said: “There have been a very large number of applications for this site. Of course the cumulative effect is that the hours of working on this site far exceed anything that this authority would probably have agreed to when it first came for change of use.
“Villagers are very concerned that as a timber yard it will have very noisy machinery.
“Surely enough is enough? How much more should a small village have to endure from a timber yard?”
Councillor Naomi Sheppard, who also represents the village, was of the same mind. She said: “We’ve had so many planning applications come through.
“I feel this devalues the planning process. This came through with conditions. If we continue to agree to conditions being removed it sets a precedent that conditions don’t need to be met; just come back six months later and get them to go away.
“If it isn’t viable as a business without these variations being met I suggest the business looks for a more suitable site. Where does this end?”
Councillor Alan Bastable added: “I can’t help feeling that somehow the application in the first place was put in on the basis that ‘if we put those hours in we’ll get it approved and we can start racketing up the time required afterwards’.
“I find it unbelievable that the company can put in an application and get it so wrong.”
Councillor Lewis Birt said: “We’ve got a duty to the residents and we can’t allow companies just to run amok. The sound of timber being sawn up can be very intrusive. If we allow it to go on throughout weekends then those residents will have their lives utterly destroyed.”
Councillor Ruth Gammons said: “I know we are expected to support businesses but surely each application should be judged on it’s merits.
“Just because it’s a business doesn’t mean they can do what they like. The conditions were put in place to protect the amenities of residents. If this is in an unsuitable place for the hours they want to run then move on.”
Councillors voted to refuse the applications requesting longer working hours on grounds of impact on amenity for residents during their leisure hours.
But councillors gave their consent for the timber yard’s remaining two applications.
The first was a time extension for improving the existing access to the A1 trunk road. The business now has a year from the time the warehouses are built to do this.
Consent was also given for goods to be stacked up to a height of five metres, as opposed to four metres as was previously agreed.