Lee warned over parking
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• Parking problems brought West Yorkshire haulier Adrian Lee to a public inquiry before North Eastern Deputy Licensing Authority Anthony Richardson in Leeds.
Lee, who trades as Adrian Lee Transport, of Copley, Halifax, was seeking to add two vehicles and trailers to his existing six-vehicle licence, and to base one vehicle at Crow Trees Farm, Apperley Lane, Rawdon.
Richardson said Lee had been called to a public inquiry because of unauthorised parking and the use of an unauthorised operating centre. In April 1988 the Ebenezer Methodist Church, Bradford, complained about a vehicle being regularly parked in a side street and assurances were sought from Lee that his vehicles would be kept at his operating centre.
In January a Mr and Mrs Middlemass wrote complaining about the unauthorised use of Crow Trees Farm as an operating centre. However, their representations against Lee's application had been too late to be valid.
Lee said that he had parked in Apperley Lane only when visiting his home. He had not used the farm as an operating centre until a vehicle examiner had visited and said it was suitable. There had been a misunderstanding — he had understood the vehicle examiner to say that he could park there. He had stopped doing so as soon as he received a letter from the Licensing Authority saying that it was illegal. lie wanted the farm as an operating centre for when he brought a vehicle home at night.
Richardson granted the application and said that he could not say that a vehicle must never be parked anywhere but at its operating centre. Normally, however, it was wrong to keep a vehicle at a place which was not its operating centre. He knew it was an awkward problem to find somewhere to park heavy vehicles, but if Lee parked them in places where they caused nuisance to other people he was going to be in trouble one way or another. If a vehicle was in the vicinity then its operating centre was the place to park. One of the purposes of the legislation was to ensure that heavy vehicles were not parked all over the place.