Storage yard plans rejected after 105 objections

O'Brien Container and Storage had applied to build a storage yard off Ferryboat Lane in Sunderland

Plans to build a self-storage facility have been rejected after more than 100 people objected to the scheme.

O'Brien Container and Storage Ltd had applied to place 170 containers, measuring 20ft (6m) each, on land next to its existing site off Ferryboat Lane in Sunderland.

But the scheme received 105 objections from members of the public, covering issues such as its affect on wildlife, highway safety and heritage impacts on Hylton Castle.

A representative for O'Brien had said the company attempted to address the council's concerns and believed its reasons for refusal had been "recycled" from past proposals.

Sunderland Labour councillor Denny Wilson said there was already a number of self-storage sites in the area and described the new scheme as "overdevelopment".

Liberal Democrat councillor Andrew Wood said Ferryboat Lane was a "heavy traffic route" and the storage facility would have "a small entrance way into what would be a very large development".

The council voted in line with recommendations from its planning officers to refuse the application, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The planning officers' reporter gave six reasons the development should be rejected, including it being located outside a "designated employment area".

It also said there would be potential impacts on wildlife and road safety issues, including increasing the "severity of injury" if a vehicle crashed at the site.

Speaking at the council meeting, a representative for O'Brien said: "We consider some of these reasons to be insufficiently justified and points that with further discussion could potentially be resolved."

Similar plans were proposed for the site earlier this year but withdrawn by developers.