A POOLE business is facing another planning battle with the council – just a month after it was told its car stacking operation was ‘unlawful’.

Charles Trent needs to get planning permission to continue using a former residential garden adjoining its site as an area for staff breaks.

According to the vehicle recycling firm’s application, the council has concerns over potential noise affecting nearby residents.

Charles Trent’s planning consultants, Ken Parke, have written to the council to defend the current use of the garden.

They argue there have been no physical changes to the use of the land, therefore there is “no reason not to grant planning permission”.

The council requested a noise report to accompany the planning application, but acoustic consultants employed by Charles Trent said there was “no source of noise to measure”, according to Ken Parke.

“The use of the area as a quiet sitting out area for staff is less intensive than that of a residential garden. That is to say that the garden area is used for short periods of time during the day, at around lunch time when some of the office staff sit in the garden to take their lunch. This is generally a quiet activity,” Ken Parke said.

“It is for this reason that the applicants do not consider there to be a material change in the use of the land, despite the users being staff rather than residents.”

Charles Trent previously applied to convert the garden into a car parking area, but this was refused by the council – again due to noise concerns.

Ken Parke said there was “no reasonable objection” to the current staff garden use on the basis that voices might be heard from a neighbouring property.

BCP Council will make a decision on the planning application in due course.

It follows a decision to refuse Charles Trent a lawful development certificate for its car stacking racks.

The company will now need to apply for planning permission for the eight-metre-high steel structures, which “ruined” the views of residents in Ringwood Road and St George’s Avenue.

Charles Trent is currently working on a significant expansion of its business, which it has described as the largest in its 90-year history.

The £7.5 million project would see its warehouses replaced by a single larger building which would house its vehicle dismantling work and result in the employment of between 50 and 60 extra members of staff.