Green light for operator on greenbelt
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• A company has been given the go-ahead for a vehicle operating centre on greenbelt land because planning development control was outside the remit of the West Midland Deputy Traffic Commissioner.
Dismissing objections from Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Roger Seymour ruled that the proposed operating centre of Motor Salvage UK was suitable for two vehicles and one trailer.
The council had opposed the company's bid for a new national licence for four vehicles and one trailer on the grounds that the operating centre, in Coventry Road, Bickenhill, lay within the West Midlands greenbelt and was the subject of a planning enforcement order.
The council's head of development control, Richard Cobb, conceded there were no homes nearby that could be affected_ Company secretary Geoffrey Ward accepted that the site was too small for four vehicles and one trailer. The lease had 18 months to run and the company was seeking larger premises.
Adjourning the proceedings and granting the company interim authority to operate two vehicles and one trailer, Seymour said director Hudha Chowdhury should be present next time to clarify maintenance requirements.