CONTROVERSIAL plans to site a scrap and breaking yard in Whittlesey are set to be thrown out.
Residents, police, Whittlesey Town Council and the Middle Level Commissioners all have strong objections to the plan.
Cambridgeshire County Council are due to refuse the application for the site at Crease Bank, Briggate West, at a meeting on Thursday.
Ten letters of objection have been received from neighbours complaining the business would be better suited to an industrial estate. They say Briggate West is too narrow for heavy traffic and Crease Bank had already become rutted while the site was operating illegally. Oil slicks had been spotted on the river, there had been noise disturbance and the fire service had been called when tyres and other waste was being burned on site.
The site was previously used for the washing, packing and distribution of vegetables but more recently for the dismantling of end of life vehicles, without planning consent or the necessary permit from the Environment Agency.
Police argued that giving the plan the go-ahead will increase the crime risk because the site is only partially fenced, lacks surveillance from surrounding properties, has foot access from a number of directions and would store high value items. A report says: “A similar site in the area had a history of being targeted for theft until it closed.”
Fenland District Council, however, had no objection to the application saying that taking into account past use of the site a general industrial use would be acceptable in the location. It advised that temporary permission should be granted to monitor the impact of the operation.
The report recommending refusal says it had not been demonstrated that the use would not have an adverse impact on nearby homes, there was a risk of flooding and damage to the river bank, highway issues and the possibility of environmental damage.
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