1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156 
B.R.S. Uncomfortable Neighbours, Tribunal Told: Authority "Erred"
Page 49
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
c4 NCOMFORTABLE neighbours" was how Mr. J. R. C. Samuel
Gibbon described British Road Services before the Transport
Tribunal in London, last week. Acting for Kilby arid Davison, Ltd., St. John Works, Bedford, and A. Cooper and Sons (Transport), Ltd., Sandy, Beds, who aPpealed against the grant to B.R.S. of vehiclésA for a new base at Bedford (The Commercial Motor, January 15), he added: " We don't want them in Bedford unless there is evidence of need for them."
The appealwas against the grant of 33 vehicles, .including 12 tractors and 12 semi-trailers, by Mr. W. P. S. Ormond, Eastern Licensing Authbrity. . This was subject to deletion of the. same number, type and tonnage of vehicles from the base at Northampton.
B.R.S. cross-appealed to the Tribunal to uphold their original application for 45 vehicles and 17 •semi-trailers.
Opening the 'case Mr. Samuel Gibbon said that allowing B.R.S. vehicles, which were licensed for one base, to be transferred to another, might set a pattern for the future.
He recalled that before 1953, B.R.S. had a depot at Bedford with about 30 vehicles. In 1955, 12 'members of the Road Haulage Association bought the depot and vehicles for about £25,000 and shared the vehicles between them.
Planning Permission
A base was retained by B.R.S. at Northampton and in July, 1957, an application for planning permission to build a new base at Bedford was submitted. In February, 1959, four vehicles were being operated by B.R.S. from Bedford. By June, this number had increased to 12. Accommodation at the new depot was for .100 vehicles, said Mr. Samuel Gibbon.
His clients were worried because Northamptoa-based vehicles had been transferred . to .Bedford, The previous balance of requirements and facilities at Bedford would be upset by the grant, he stated. '• . • . • : .
On the second day of a three-day hearing: Mr. Samuel Gibbon said that if 45 more vehicles were brought to Bedford, facilities would then be in excess of .rectiiireinents. From evidence given to the .Authority it appeared that when the fleet Was working from Northampton
some vehicles had gone to places beyond the licensed limits.
As a penalty, B.R.S. should be told to stay at Northampton, he said, and asked the Tribunal to reverse the Authority's decision.
For the British Transport Commission, Mr. D. L. McDonnell said that they were licensed to operate 55 vehicles and 19 semi-trailers from Northampton. They now wished to move part of the fleet nearer to the work it was already doing, near Bedford. He submitted that as long as the Authority was satisfied as to the bona fides of the applicant, a haulier was entitled to say that he found it convenient to move his bases.
Bricks formed. 60 per cent. of the outward traffic carried by the Northampton vehicles. It had never been suggested that the vehicles were going to Bedford to look for new work. They were already working for customers in the neighbourhood of Bedford.
Giving the Tribunal's decision, Mr. G. D. Squibb, Q.C., acting president, said that a case had been made out for the transfer of vehicles to be used for the brick trade. But they considered that the Authority had erred in fixing the number of vehicles as 33.
"We think it should be 29 vehicles for the brick trade with an additional two for general traffic in Bedford," said Mr. Squibb.
• HIRE-PURCHASE RATES UP , ik AXIAIUM interest rates on the hireIV' purchase of vehicles are being raised by members of the Finance Houses Association. The revised maximum rate for new vehicles will be 9 per cent. and on used vehicles up to five years old, 10 per cent., although it is not expected that these amounts will be charged, at least in the immediate future.