[Ian Rochester]

Just received a letter yesterday from the local council saying that someone had made a complaint that I was trading from my home premises, filling vans with water on a daily basis and storing machinery in my garage, which may be in breach of the planning permission and can I contact them to discuss it.

We currently operate from home, a van gets filled up on a daily basis overnight on the driveway, I do store equipment in the garage.

Has anyone else received a letter like this in the past?

I think I know who has put the complaint in as he has already contested an extension that we are having built at the moment and we have had words in the past!!

[trike]

do you have your home down as you trading address,i have mine down as trading address,most of us do exsactly as your doing,mine is left outsde but i fill every morning,i didnt think storing machinery would be a problem,but it will be interesting to find out.whats your next step.

[AuRavelling79]

I think if you go on the lines of "I'm a self employed window cleaner trying to earn an honest living" rather than "I run this empire of twelve EC workers, six vans, three heated tanks and a partridge in a pear tree..."

If the machinery in the shed isn't noisy/polluting then what's the prob?

A relative of my wife has a little window cleaning empire and when he started he lived in a terraced house and no off street parking - I know he had a nosey neighbour who caused problems of the "He runs hoses across the path to fill his vans" type of thing.

- I'll give him a call and get back to you because I know he continued trading and the council intimated that the caller was often complaining about trivial matters.

One classic was "Your hose across the path means my son can't ride his bike up and down the pavement!" to which the obvious reply was "I thought it was illegal to ride a bike on the pavement!"

But I think he just had to put a board over the hose and a hazard sign out.

Strewth, we've got enough to put up with with chav lazy neighbours without having to put up with objections to an honest days work!

Rant!

[simon knight]

What you store in your own garage is entirely up to you and has nowt to do with the council (obviously things like drugs, explosives, firearms etc being the exceptions).

Also with the van, as long as it's on your own driveway I don't see what business it is of the council.

I imagine they've received a complaint and are just going through the motions.

[pingu]

Start having loads of 'strange activity' publications sent to his address..perhaps a few cards in local phone boxes with his 'specialities' and price structure and of course contact details.

I seriously doubt the council will find you guilty of too many issues...like the other chap suggested...explain yourself honestly to the council chap and this will all blow away...possibly like your neighbour !!!!

Dave.

[baldeagle]

My business isn't run from home - it's operated from my van.
Baldeagle

[dave0123]

Actully, i donr no if its the same for your council but here! you can legally park your work vans on the road but not on your drive.

What i mean is... i know a fella who runs a roofing company and his house and drive is pritty big and he used 2 have about 3 vans parked on the path which fit on ok for the size of his drive!! the nabour he fell out with over the complained and complained to council!! they come round and said park them on the road its legal! he carnt do anything then but on the drive its diffrent...

so in otherwords if you park all your vans up your road on the road they carnt do nothing about 


weird i know but true.

[Ian Rochester]

I've spoken to the council today and they are quite understanding, they don't think there is anything to cause them concern at the moment.

I also made them aware that we are actively looking for local premises to move into, however, the same council are pricing industrial land at such a high value that small businesses like oursleves are unable to afford to buy or rent a unit in this area.

[wightsurf]

Our house use to be owned by the council,we didnt buy from the council but futher down the line someone did.. anyway in the deeds there is a clause stating that you can not run a business from this address with out change of planing.
I don't know what your facts are but if it's a change of use it could cause probs,i would like to think as long as it's a small setup and not vans every where it wouldnt be a problem.but i think they can get funny about it if pushed.

[Paul Coleman]

Actully, i donr no if its the same for your council but here! you can legally park your work vans on the road but not on your drive.

What i mean is... i know a fella who runs a roofing company and his house and drive is pritty big and he used 2 have about 3 vans parked on the path which fit on ok for the size of his drive!! the nabour he fell out with over the complained and complained to council!! they come round and said park them on the road its legal! he carnt do anything then but on the drive its diffrent...

so in otherwords if you park all your vans up your road on the road they carnt do nothing about 


weird i know but true.

Same thing around my way but the council only enforce it if there is a complaint.  The mobile mechanic who used to service my motor was allowed to park on the road but not on his driveway because it could be deemed that he was using his house as a business premises.
So he made a point of parking outside the house of the person who complained.