Licence opposed after 20 years
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THE LATE renewal of two vehicle 0 licences, held by an operator who had been working from the same premises for at least 20 years, was opposed by the City of Stoke on Trent, The renewal was before the West Midland Licensing Authority, Mr A. A. Crabtree, at Birmingham last week.
The licence held by Mr L. J. A. Latham, trading as Percy Pedley, skin and bone merchant, of Cuckoo Lodge, Longton, had expired in May and he had applied for a new 0 licence.
For Latham, Mr R. S. Ramage said the applicant's family had carried on business from Cuckoo Lodge since 1936, and the applicant himself had parked vehicles at the premises, which consisted of buildings separate from the dwelling house, for the last 20 years. An application had been lodged for a certificate of established user for the parking of commercial vehicles on the site.
Mr Latham said the business consisted of the collection of skins and bones from local butchers for delivery to a processing plant in Dudley. No processing was undertaken at the operating centre.
He accepted that it was unavoidable that there would be some smell with vehicles engaged in the particular traffic. He said that the public health authorities had laid down that loaded vehicles should not remain at his premises for more than 24 hours. In the event, they never stayed for longer than 12 hours.
Mr Latham produced 12 letters from local residents, stating that no nuisance had been caused by the operation of his business.
Mr John Symons, principal planning officer of Stoke on Trent, said Lightwood Road, where the base was, is basically residential in character, particularly on the eastern side. It was considered undesirable, from a health point of view, that vehicles used for skin and bone collection should be operated and parked in close proximity to dwelling houses.
It had been suggested that there was an established use. However, the Council had no record of the use of the premises for a skin and bone collection business, the only record being of their use as z farm.
Granting the application Mr. Crabtree said he regardec it as significant that the public health authorities had not received any complaints. ThE applicant had held a licence foi some time and having regarc to the length of time he hat been using the present pre. mises, he felt he was bound tc make a grant.