Plans for a shipping container self-storage business in Melbourne, which would not be an “Amazon depot”, have been approved.
At a South Derbyshire District Council meeting on Tuesday night, councillors approved plans from MAE Trading to set up the self-storage business on a former agricultural site in Cockshut Lane on the western edge of the town.
This was despite opposition from the Melbourne’s civic society, which dubbed the scheme “a bad case of urban creep”.
Michael King, speaking during the meeting at the council’s Swadlincote headquarters, said: “The case against this development is overwhelming.”
He claimed the business case for the scheme was not sound, that the rural development was not in line with local policies – particularly within the National Forest – and that the number of jobs provided would be “minuscule”.
Andrew Large, agent for the applicants, said the site had been a market garden business for 20 years but this use had come to an end.
He said: “The family are as sad as anyone that the garden business has ended. The intent is not to create a large Amazon depot and it will cater for small and medium-sized businesses alike. “The garden business, in comparison, was far more onerous and large operation, with heavy vehicles moving around.”
Council officers said the owners would need further planning applications to increase the number of containers on site or to stack them on top of one another.
Cllr Jane Carroll said: “I have many concerns about this application. It is unsuitable development in the countryside. “Traffic on the road past this site is fast-moving and vehicles often exceed the 40mph limit and the vehicles travelling on it are of a considerable size. “There have been a number of accidents nearby, not the one accident stated in the report.
“This development increases the risk of more accidents and more accidents of a serious nature.”
She said the rural development was out of place outside of the Melbourne settlement boundary.
Cllr Carroll said: “The development of 23 containers in the countryside is totally unacceptable. They are a blot on the landscape and are already visible from the road. The trees on-site offer absolutely no cover at present.”
Cllr Amy Wheelton said: “As a farmer I understand that you have to diversify. You have got to and we are being forced to.
“But there is just no reason, need or place for large containers in the countryside, not 23 of them. “If that land is Grade 2 (second best quality) farmland then there is no evidence of that when we visited. It looked like a car park, which makes this retrospective and everyone knows how we feel about retrospective applications.
“We need to start sending a message. “There is no evidence left of the horticultural business and there has clearly not been any enforcement. It should not have been hard cored over.”
Cllr David Muller said he regularly drove past the site and has seen the shipping containers but said an additional storage facility is needed, and that this would improve what is a “scruffy” site.
The containers would be moved and placed behind a planned fence, he said.
Cllr Kerry Haines said: “I do wonder how well we can enforce the site otherwise we could see these popping up all over the place.”
Councilors approved the plans by a vote of eight votes for, three votes against and two councilors abstaining.
