Taxi Driver Online

Pretty bog standard planning application, but not a lot of news around at the moment

Taxi booking office plans rejected over noise fears

https://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/bus ... -1-9713091


Image: Sunderland Echo

Plans to convert a former kitchen showroom into a taxi booking office have been snubbed over noise fears.

Earlier this year, an application was lodged with Sunderland City Council for Unit 1 at Rydean Works.

The area, off South Street, in Newbottle, Houghton, provides units for a range of businesses.

New plans included opening a private hire taxi office between 7.30am – 11.30pm, Monday to Friday and 8am-11.30pm on weekends and Bank Holidays.

According to planning documents, the business planned to use existing spaces on the site to serve taxis.

This included three taxis operating on site with a potential to increase to six.

During consultation, one letter of objection was lodged from an Elm Place resident over potential littering and noise concerns.

Council planners also raised concerns the taxi office would impact neighbours due to noise from engines, car doors and “conversation” between drivers.

And due to existing deliveries from a nearby takeaway, a report adds, a taxi office operating late into the night would create an “intensification of the comings and goings on site” to the “detriment” of neighbours.

A decision notice was published on April 12 which stated the proposals clashed with planning policies.

It reads: “The proposed use of a taxi booking office will result in unacceptable levels of disturbance to nearby residential properties, caused by the noise generated by the comings and goings of vehicles, which will extend late into the evening seven days per week.”

The applicant can appeal the decision if they choose to do so.

Can't be many private hire offices keep those hours these days, even in a small town, never mind a big city.

Could well be a 24-hour operation, but maybe they're making claims about operating hours (for example, restricted access for drivers) to help with the application. But of course these kind of conditions often breached, but looks academic now anyway.

But why do they need to have cars operating out of the yard?

That's what has stopped the license, but at nights the cars will be all over picking up punters.

Hopefully.

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IDFIMH

so it's an industrial estate of course there is going to be some noise and the PH would probably not be any noisier than any other business

If you can't operate from an industrial estate where can you operate from ?

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

From the picture there looks to be residential housing near. So maybe the point isn't the industrial estate, more the timings.

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IDFIMH

Newbottle taxi booking office 'open for business' after council U-turn over noise fears

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/no ... n-16538614

There were fears that the taxi office could create 'unacceptable levels of disturbance' for residents in Sunderland


Image: Chronicle Live

A new taxi booking office is "open for business" after winning planning permission from Sunderland City Council.

Earlier this year, proposals for the office, at Unit 1, Rydean Works, were turned down over noise fears.

The area, off South Street, in Newbottle , houses a range of businesses.

However, plans for the taxi office were stalled after an objection was lodged from a neighbour raising fears about noise and litter.

In their decision notice, council planners said the proposals would result in "unacceptable levels of disturbance" to nearby residential properities.

They also raised concerns about the plans creating "an intensification of the comings and goings on site" due to a nearby takeaway.

After the plans were rejected on April 12, taxi bosses handed out questionnaires to neighbours to gather feedback.

And a revised application, submitted to the council days later, was given the final go-ahead in June.

Owner of Thompsons Taxis, Elsdon Thompson, welcomed the council u-turn.

"I was over the moon when we got it through, we're now open for business," he said.

"An objection was put forward but we have always said we don't want to create a disturbance at all.

"It's important to say we're not a taxi rank, we're a private hire booking office.

"Newbottle is a massively expanding area and lots of houses are being built here.

"There is a real opening for a reliable taxi service."

He added feedback from residents said the business would benefit the local area.

While council planners approved the application, this is subject to a restriction to reduce potential disruption late at night.

The premises must operate as a telephone/computer based booking office after 10pm, with no cars allowed to stop at the site.

A planning report concludes: "The previous planning application was refused on the basis that the proposal would impact negatively on residential amenity, given that the taxi office would operate late into the evening.

"It is considered that the current proposal by virtue of an enforceable condition limiting taxis on site after 10pm is an acceptable form of development which would not cause unacceptable harm to the amenities of the occupiers of the adjoining properties or the street scene in general."

Certainly never heard any taxi office say that they *want* to create a disturbance