Fight for a good night’s sleep

DISTURBED sleep (from left) Councillor Colin McLaren, Mary Beaumont, Jean Holmes, Edna Norton and Ken Hey

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RESIDENTS have attacked plans to extend the business hours of a depot in Chadderton — claiming vehicle movement is disturbing their sleep.

Pennine Systems Ltd has submitted a proposal to operate Crossley Depot on Walsh Street, 24-hours a day, Monday to Saturday.

Planning permission was given to the change of use of the former council depot to a light engineering works in July, 1996, when hours of operation were restricted to 8am-4.40pm, Monday to Friday, and 9am-noon on Saturdays. This was to protect residents.

However, in February, 2001, the business was given permission to extend its hours of operation from 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, and 8am to 5.30pm on Saturdays.

Now, the firm wants to operate 24-hours a day, claiming it has experienced an upturn in orders and needed the extra hours.

In its submission, it says all work takes place within the building and that no vehicle movements occur in the yard outside the specified periods and will not result in loss of amenity to surrounding residents.

The plan is recommended for approval at tomorrow’s planning committee.

But it has attracted 31 letters of objections, and one from Chadderton Councillor Colin McLaren.

They say the group has breached the existing planning conditions by disturbing residents in Stockfield Mount and Landsdowne Court.

They add that the problem will be amplified if the change in working hours is given the green light.

But the planning officer’s report says nearest residential properties are located around 50 metres away and that the proposed extension to the opening hours relates to the operations that take place within the building only.

Former secretary of Stockfield Mount quarterly forum, Ken Hey (76) said: “This has been coming for a few years now.

“I live on the fourth floor and can’t escape from the noise as my bedroom and lounge window face the site. A lot of residents are in the same position.

“For the past few weeks there has been no work on Saturday mornings, which they usually work, and that has been lovely.”

Fellow resident Edna Norton (73) said: “When you’ve got your windows open in the summer and they drop a load of metal in the skip, you jump out of your skin.

“Its terrible, its disturbing our sleep and I just think it’s the wrong place for them to be based as there are residents so close by.”

Councillor Mclaren added: “Movement of vehicles outside the permitted hours is the issue. It is something the residents have been complaining about for some time.
“All residents want is for the firm to operate within its current permitted hours.”