An application to extend the hours of operation at the former Langley Business Park near Macclesfield has been approved.

Outline permission for the mixed use development at the site in Langley was granted in 2011 and included nine class B1 office/light industrial units.

The existing approval restricted the units to class B1 business use only and the hours of operation were limited to 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 2pm on Saturdays.

At Wednesday's (March 23) meeting of the northern planning committee, councillors agreed to the application from Seddon Homes to amend the hours of operation from 7am to 11pm Monday to Sunday and including public holidays.

They also agreed to change the use so it could be used for offices, industrial processes and warehousing purposes only – and added a condition that one tenant could occupy no more than two units.

Ward councillor Andrew Gregory (Sutton, Conservative) speaking as a visiting member, said since he had objected to the application, which originally had asked for operating hours of 24/7, he was now supporting the change from 7am to 11pm.

He told the committee: "There's been discussions with the applicant. There are revised, reduced hours in terms of the site, so the use will cease at 11pm each day now rather than working through the night and that has allayed a lot of local concerns."

But Cllr Stewart Gardiner (Knutsford, Conservative) said he believed people would still be affected by noise.

"What's happened about protecting people's amenity?" asked Cllr Gardiner.

"The reason why we have hours of operation is to protect the residential amenity of adjoining occupiers. Even if we ignore the people who are going to be buying the houses immediately adjacent, what about the people who live adjacent to the site already?

"What about their rights to live in peace? 11 o'clock at night is late and then they get no respite on a Sunday morning either."

Cllr Lesley Smetham (Gawsworth, Conservative) expressed concerns about noise from HGVs but was told it was unlikely large lorries would be using the site because the units were small.

When she said HGVs still might access it, Macclesfield West and Ivy councillor Nick Mannion (Labour) said it was preferable that such vehicles, if they were used, access the site itself rather than park on nearby roads.

The application was approved by nine votes to two.

See Also: Macclesfield: Operating hours extension to make Langley Business Park site more palatable to tenants.

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