Watch it in May
Page 7
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THE INTRODUCTION of the environmental criteria for operators' licensing in May will make contested cases very like County Court trials, with a tougher fight for both applicants and objectors.
This was said by Yorkshire Deputy Licensing Authority Norman Moody, when he rejected an objection by South Yorkshire County Council to the renewal of the three vehicle licence held by H. R. Bolland Transport of Doncaster.
For the County, Judith Andrews said the operating centre was situated off the old Great North Road and access was gained by a narrow lane unsuitable for heavy vehicles. The premises consisted of a former farm and maintenance was carried out in an old barn.
Planning applications for a new access and for a change of use from agricultural purposes to a haulage depot had been turned down. The operation of a haulage business from the site was highly dangerous to other road users.
There was a traffic flow of 5,048 vehicles in a 12-hour period past the premises and there had been six accidents involving personal injury during the last few years at a junction within 100m of the access.
For the firm, Norman Waite described the objection as "a storm in a teacup". He said it was conceded that the access was not entirely suitable but that was true of many haulage de pots. The three vehicles left the site and returned to it once a day and at no time had any accident been caused by the firm's vehicles. Visibility for vehicles entering or leaving the premises was good.
Granting renewal, Mr Moody said that many of the points raised by the County would be relevant after the new Regulations came into force. However, for the moment he took no account of environmental or planning issues. It would have been different if there had been evidence that the firm was likely to be turned off the site as result of the planning situation.
Though the access did not have the 10m radius recommended by the Department of Transport for heavy goods vehicles he did not think its use by the firm's vehicles materially added to the safety hazard that undoubtedly existed. Consequently he did not find the operating centre was unsuitable for the purpose.
1 RECENT FIGURES show that 35 per cent of all commercial vehicle tyres now sold in the UK are imported.