• Despite environmental representations, the international licence held by F.
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R. Somerset of Chapel-enle-Frith has been increased from 10 vehicles and 16 trailers to 14 vehicles and 24 trailers without restriction.
Four local residents complained to North Western LA Roy Hutchings of noise, dust and the smell of diesel fumes from the company's premises at Gisbourne Works, Manchester Road, but director Robert Somerset said the company was engaged on the carriage of lime and chemicals and the bulk of the fleet was away overnight. A lot of the work was to water treatment plants and they were required to do emergency work at odd hours. Movements were kept to a minimum in the awkward hours and a lot of money had been spent re-surfacing the yard to cut out as much noise as possible.
The company did not intend to increase the actual number of vehicles and trailers operated, but wanted a margin in case it needed to hire in vehicles without drivers. It was not practical to sub-contract the work because of the health and safety requirements to have trained drivers.
Evidence was given by an environmental health inspector that noise readings from the premises were 10 decibels less than from vehicles travelling along the main road.
Hutchings accepted arguments from John Backhouse, for the company, that the proposed increase in the licence authority did not represent a material change in view of the statement of intention not to increase the actual fleet, and said it would be inappropriate to impose any environmental conditions.