)Iasted by LA
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mality. Pugh said that having to obtain a new licence "concentrated an operator's mind".
Arman also hinted that, although public inquiry procedure was a matter for each LA, moves could be made this year to introduce a set of rules which every LA would have to follow.
Pugh told his audience that local council planning considerations were only relevant to a licensing hearing if land had not previously been used as an operating centre. Even then the LA only had to take it into "consideration" — ii was not necessarily a bar to the granting of a licence.
If land had been used as an operating centre in the past, said Pugh, even if that use had been abandoned, he was precluded from basing his judgement on the planning situation.
But Arman hit back, saying the Transport Tribunal had ruled that the question of whether land had been used as an operating centre before did not go back indefinitely.
Pugh added that local authorities often asked him to impose conditions which were outside his power.
He said that he was always wary about putting conditions on a licence and preferred operators to agree to them.
He also promised to take action against operators who let their drivers park their trucks at home if local authorities complained.