Planners' long scrap with yard is over

The owners of an under fire scrapyard were praised by planners for complying with orders to tidy up their premises.
Residents won't be seeing this site any moreResidents won't be seeing this site any more
Residents won't be seeing this site any more

At a meeting of Falkirk Council planning committee last week members noted the progress made at All Parts Auto Salvage, in Hillview, High Bonnybridge.

The operators had been tasked with reducing the level of their scrap metal pile to a height of five metres and have almost accomplished this – the pile now stands 0.05 metres above the target height.

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Trees and bushes planted as screening at the sight have also grown considerably.

Baillie Billy Buchanan, committee convener, said: “We have been consistently under pressure due to this application, which has taken a considerable period of time. We have been up there to keep an eye on things.

“The visual impact of the sight has now been alleviated. A lot of work has been done and is beginning to bear fruit – the yard has been tided up. Nearby residents are now longer looking at that pile of scrap.”

Councillor John McLuckie said: “This is a major success story and all the congratulations have to go to the applicant.”

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As well as reducing the height of scrap on the site and planting trees for screening, the operator also undertook work to increase the visibility for motorists at the main site entrance by strimming away roadside vegetation.

The original application from All Parts sought full planning permission for the use of land for an end-of-life vehicle decontamination and de-liquidising facility and storage of scrap metal and was granted planning consent on June 25 last year.

However, the conditions attached, including keeping the site in a neat and tidy condition and not letting the scrap piles exceed five metres in height, were not initially adhered to.

For most of the first half of 2016 All Parts were given ultimatums to decrease the height of the scrap on their premises. They offered up a number of reasons for the work not being carried out – including the machine used to clear the scrap being broken and needing to be replaced.

At one stage the committee asked for details on enforcement action which could be taken should All Parts fail to meet planning requirements.

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