A DAIRY company’s proposals to store HGVs at a former bus depot in Wrexham look set to go ahead.

Tomlinson’s Dairies entered retrospective plans to keep vehicles on land at Vauxhall Industrial Estate in Ruabon back in June.

The firm said it would help to support its use of a neighbouring building as a storage and distribution centre for its products.

Concerns have been raised about the increased amount of large vehicles travelling through the neighbouring village of Johnstown as a result of the application.

However, a leading officer from Wrexham Council has recommended the scheme for approval.

In a report set to go before councillors next week, one neighbour who wrote in to express their objections said: “The haulage depot has an operating licence for 70 vehicles and 80 trailers which is described as a substantial depot by the DVSA.

“There are two sets of traffic lights in the village and lorries can be seen queuing.

“The Vauxhall Industrial Estate is not the correct location for this scale of transport depot.

“The depot should be relocated to the Wrexham Industrial Estate where there is a dual carriageway access road built at vast public expense – removing the need for to pollute the village of Johnstown with fumes, noise and vibration and degrading the street scene.”

In response to the issues raised, the local authority’s chief planning officer said the new use of the site would be no more harmful than its use as a bus yard.

According to the report, approximately 120 coaches were kept at the bus depot.

By contrast, Lawrence Isted said Tomlinson’s anticipates parking will be needed for up to 15 tractors and 20 trailers, resulting in a total of up to 50 vehicle movements per day.

He added that the development was in an appropriate location.

Backing the proposals for approval, he said: “Concerns have been made in representations that the use of the site for the parking and operation of the HGVs associated with dairy product distribution business is having an adverse impact upon the amenity of the residents of Johnstown and is also impacting upon its village setting.

“In reality, these vehicles are contracted to serve the permitted storage and distribution use of the existing building, therefore the vehicles visit the site in any case.

“This application seeks to provide a stabling point effectively reducing the need for them to be transported elsewhere.

“On this basis, I do not consider that the storage of the vehicles on site will have any further adverse impact upon the highway network than has previously been experienced by previous lawful uses.”

The plans will be considered by members of the council’s planning committee at a meeting at Wrexham’s Guildhall on Monday (DEL 2 SEPTEMBER 2019).