A CHARD business can expand onto a nearby derelict site, despite concerns over the impact it could have on the nearby reservoir and nature reserve.

Deardens Haulage and Aggregate applied to permission to park its HGV fleet on the former Chaffcombe recycling site on Chaffcombe Lane, which runs along the northern edge of the reservoir.

Concerned residents spoke out against the plans, claiming the lorries would put tourists and locals off coming to the site, and arguing the business should move to a different site elsewhere in the town.

But members of South Somerset District Council’s area west committee unanimously voted to approve the plans when it met in Chard on Wednesday evening (April 17).

The site was formerly operated by the Somerset Waste Partnership before the current recycling centre on Beeching Close opened, and was sold off by Viridor in 2018.

Helen Dearden, who put forward the plans, said the site would be used to store six HGVs and wouldn’t be accessed outside of the company’s current operating hours (8:30am-6pm).

She said: “The majority of our vehicles are low-noise, and as and when it is practical to do, we replace our older vehicles with those.”

Planning officer Mike Hicks said the use of the site would be “fairly low-key, compared to what it was used for previously.

“I don’t think as a result of this application we will have an increase in vehicle movements," he said.

"If we did have an increase, it would be minimal.”

He added that Somerset County Council, as the highway authority, had “no reason to believe” that the bridge over the former railway line – now a popular cycle route – could not support the vehicles’ weight.

Emma Thomas was among several residents who spoke against the plans, accusing Deardens of being in breach of existing planning regulations – a claim which the company strongly denied.

She said: “If a company shows no signs of complying with existing regulations, why is the council expecting them to comply now?

“We know it’s likely this company will expand far beyond its consent and will likely breach noise and dust regulations.”

Josephine Miles highlighted the nature reserve’s green flag status, which recognises high standards of green publicly accessible spaces.

She said: “Ten years ago, it wasn’t as well developed as it currently is – now the rangers have opened up the site so people can walk around it and enjoy it.”

“The green flag status is a valuable asset for the tourist industry. Everybody’s overlooked this – we’re looking at the here and now, and not the future.

“The reservoir provides a site for people to sit and walk, and contributes to health and well-being.”

Nick Hill added: “The people of Chaffcombe do not want them there. I strongly suggest the council think very seriously about relocating this business.”

Margaret Thresher, however, praised the business and urged the council to support small local businesses.

She said: “My husband and I have been a customer of Deardens for many years. They provide a friendly service which you don’t get from multinationals. It is small businesses like this which keep our country going.

“Rejecting this application could be the final nail in the coffin of an established family business which has taken many years of blood, sweat and tears to establish.”

Councillor Sue Osborne – in whose Windwhistle ward the site falls – supported the plans “reluctantly”, saying there had to be a trade-off between the needs of the business and the wider community who use the area for recreation.

She said: “There is a planning balance to be struck between the needs of a business, which will probably want to expand again, and the amenity of the area – this reservoir’s development is a priority for it in the council.

“People need to see that we are being open, transparent, and balancing the use of a brownfield site against the future of this strategic green lung for Chard.”

Former leader Ric Pallister – at his last meeting before stepping down as a councillor – said the vehicles which would be using the site would be no bigger than the recycling lorries that would have served it in the past.

He said: “I understand what some of the locals feel – you wouldn’t want to put it there if it wasn’t an existing site.

“We are where we are. I don’t have any difficulty in supporting this one.”

Councillor Linda Vijeh said there had been “a breakdown in communication” between the company and local residents, and suggested better dialogue should be sought going forward.

After around an hour of discussion, the committee voted unanimously to approve the plans.