Update on the sudden commercial use of the old varnish factory in Sole Street
The Parish Council and your Gravesham Borough Cllr, Tony Rice, are aware of the sudden establishment of a commercial self storage operation on the site of the old Norbond varnish factory. This is causing great concern among residents, concerned about their Green Belt surroundings, now enduring increases in noise and light pollution, as well as unwanted large vehicle movements through Sole Street.
It is not a permitted use of this site on the Green Belt, because a planning application has not been submitted and approved. The operation is very similar to the last planning application in 2017, which was refused, appealed and refused again.
We would like to reassure residents that this matter has been fully reported to senior officers in the planning directorate in Gravesham Borough Council (GBC), who are fully engaged in the issue and taking it extremely seriously. They are experts and very experienced at dealing with planning breaches. They are pursuing a course of action that must conform to planning rules, regulations and the law. It is a course of action that they deem to be the most expedient in the public interest.
At this stage, GBC is in conversation with the landowner, so when we have more news we will provide a further update. We will be providing regular updates on the Parish Council website as the process unfolds.
Rest assured that your Parish Council and Cllr Tony Rice fully oppose this development and will be doing everything they can to get the land restored to nil use as soon as possible.
The Parish Council and your Gravesham Borough Cllr, Tony Rice, are aware of the sudden establishment of a commercial self storage operation on the site of the old Norbond varnish factory. This is causing great concern among residents, concerned about their Green Belt surroundings, now enduring increases in noise and light pollution, as well as unwanted large vehicle movements through Sole Street.
It is not a permitted use of this site on the Green Belt, because a planning application has not been submitted and approved. The operation is very similar to the last planning application in 2017, which was refused, appealed and refused again.
We would like to reassure residents that this matter has been fully reported to senior officers in the planning directorate in Gravesham Borough Council (GBC), who are fully engaged in the issue and taking it extremely seriously. They are experts and very experienced at dealing with planning breaches. They are pursuing a course of action that must conform to planning rules, regulations and the law. It is a course of action that they deem to be the most expedient in the public interest.
At this stage, GBC is in conversation with the landowner, so when we have more news we will provide a further update. We will be providing regular updates on the Parish Council website as the process unfolds.
Rest assured that your Parish Council and Cllr Tony Rice fully oppose this development and will be doing everything they can to get the land restored to nil use as soon as possible.
