A retrospective planning application to store HGVs at St George's Barracks has been refused by Rutland County Council.

Airfield Trailer Store Ltd sought a temporary planning approval for ten years on a 6.42ha site at North Luffenham Road, Edith Weston.

The full application was for a change of use of hardstanding from an airfield to B8 vehicle storage (retrospective).

The site is currently an RAF Military Base and former runway, continued the application, with access from Welland Drive.

The applicant sought to store 1200 HGV trailers, saying there would be a maximum of 20 movements daily, with the business operating from 6am to 7pm.

The venture would feature no new build and would be of 'low-impact' and 'benign use', the application said, and would not be facing the public.

Temporary permission was sought for ten years, as the application site is set for housing, but as the development is some way off, 'active temporary use' would benefit the local economy, the application also said.

However, a report by Rutland County Council planning staff said the business "is not considered to be small scale activity, extending over a large area and resulting in a high number of vehicular movement's."

The report continued: "The operational practices adopted by the applicant to date have caused unacceptable disturbance to nearby communities of Edith Western and Manton and this is reflected in the number of complaints received.

"It is considered that the operation practices and the mitigation measures proposed in the 'Operation Plan - St Georges Barracks' prepared by Marrons

Planning dated (November 2020) on behalf Airfield Trailer Stores Ltd do not fully mitigate the impacts on the nearby communities and would result in an unacceptable level of disturbance to nearby communities of Edith Western and Manton as a result of the increase traffic movements and the associated noise and disturbance from the general use of the site."

After saying this was contrary to a range of council planning policies, the report noted the venture "would have a significant detrimental impact on the local wildlife and ecology."

It continued: "There is evidence that the operational practices of the business are not compliant with the suggested mitigation and acceptance of the proposal would therefore result in an adverse impact on the local ecology."

This would also conflict with other council planning policies, so the application should be refused.