A van hire firm already in hot water for its relocation plans is again in trouble - facing enforcement action for creating a storage area without planning permission.

Lucy Bolton

A van hire firm already in hot water for its relocation plans is again in trouble - facing enforcement action for creating a storage area without planning permission.

The council's planning committee this week voted in favour of enforcement action against Trott Rentals after bosses laid a hardcore platform to store building materials.

Families living near the Hurricane Way site, in the Norwich International Airport industrial estate, said movement of vehicles and work on the site early in the mornings was blighting their lives - and councillors decided it was time to get tough.

The ruling comes after the firm was refused planning permission by the council to move its fleet hire business and builders store from its current location to land east of Holt Road on the northern outskirts of the city.

Councillors on the city council planning applications committee backed enforcement action to force Trott Rentals to remove the hardcore and restore the land to its original state and to stop using the land for building storage.

The decision was welcomed by Deborah Slattery, chairman of the Holt Road Residents' Association (HORRA), who campaigned against the plans, mainly on grounds of safety and additional traffic.

She said: “It's really gone beyond the pale now. The company was refused planning permission but within a week had put hardcore there, and there are about 12 to 14 vehicles now using that site.

“They arrive just after 6.30am and start work straightaway, including Saturdays. As chairman of HORRA I have had a lot of complaints about it.

“What really annoys all of us is that, if we wanted to put a porch or something small on our house, and it was refused, we would have to abide by that. But the company is not abiding by his refusal.

“It's having a catastrophic effect on traffic movements on the road, which is now gridlock. It's having a very serious effect on our lives, both visually and noise-wise, so we want enforcement action to be taken to bring it back to the way it was.”

The relocation plans came under fire in May from neighbours who claimed they had not been given enough chance to have their say on the firm's planned relocation.

Broadland councillor Peter Balcombe said people in his Hellesdon south-east ward living near the site had not been consulted or given the chance to make their opinions known, and Shelagh Gurney, district councillor for the area, said she was also concerned.

However, Norwich City Council said a full consultation with neighbours had been carried out about the planned relocation.

No one from Trott Rentals was available for comment on the council's decision to take enforcement action.

Are you fighting a planning application where you live? Call Evening News reporter David Bale on 01603 772427 or email davidbale2@archantcouk