Naval base depot must reduce hours for residents

The storage depot provides benefits for employees and the Devonport naval base, its planning consultant says

A storage depot that serves Devonport naval base has been given permission to continue for another five years but with fewer operating hours to reduce noise for residents.

Victoria Wharf Ltd applied to Plymouth City Council for the permanent use of the compound at Keyham Road as the HQ for the marine division of Denholm Industrial Services.

However, planners held off granting this until the site's appearance is improved. They also imposed new operating hours, ending at 19:00 instead of 21:00 on weekdays and exclude work on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

A planning consultant for the applicant said permanent consent would provide a "multitude of planning benefits" for employees and the dockyard.

Objections to the plans also included concerns over noise, vibration, light and dust.

Some residents referred to shot-blasting that has taken place within an industrial unit constructed on the site, which was in breach of the original planning consent, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported.

Members of the council's planning committee were told that enforcement action was being looked into to address these issues.

Planning officers said they saw merit in allowing the storage and distribution operation to continue to avoid adverse impacts on the dockyard and marine and defence sectors.

'Respect the area'

Resident Mr McCarthy said the firm had operated outside the hours it had given on its website and claimed there was shot-blasting on a daily basis for several hours plus "hammering and needlegunning".

"We deserve an environment where we can live in relative peace and quiet and the chance to bring families up to respect the area in which they live," he said.

"If this site is allowed to continue in its current form and especially if Denholm are allowed to expand their operations and business hours to seven days a week, 12 hours plus a day, including bank holidays, it will have a massive effect on our community."

Planning consultant Elizabeth Bricknell, acting on behalf of the applicant and site operator, said it had a long history of industrial uses and 150 people were now employed there.

She said residents' concerns over noise, vibration and dust had been heard "loud and clear", and they were being addressed along with reduced hours of operation.