PLANS which could lead to HGVs thundering through a new housing estate in Yate have been rejected after an outcry.

Councillors have rejected developers’ plans to have HGVs travelling through a vast new housing estate 24/7 after hundreds of residents objected.

But because the vote went against officers’ advice to approve lifting the current restrictions on large vehicles at Ladden Garden Village in Yate, it now has to go to a higher planning committee to be reconsidered.

South Gloucestershire Council strategic sites delivery committee voted to refuse permission to remove a planning condition which says HGVs can only use residential roads from 7.30am to 6pm weekdays and 8pm to 2pm on Saturday, and not at all on Sunday or public holidays.

The time limits were introduced in July last year when members approved a change of use of the development’s industrial estates to include more general industry because no businesses came forward to rent out office space.

But the hour restrictions have since deterred more companies from moving in because it would 'significantly hamper their ability to operate successfully and efficiently from the site, particularly those that need to operate 24/7', the committee was told on Thursday.

Council officers said the planning condition was unnecessary, unreasonable and unenforceable and recommended getting rid of it to allow round-the-clock movement of HGVs, which are defined as over 3.5 tonnes and include many delivery vans used by retailers such as Amazon, supermarkets and DIY, electrical and furniture stores.

This meant residents who relied on home deliveries were “deprived” of them because the restrictions applied to the whole development, including the houses, not just the commercial units, councillors heard.

But councillor Chris Willmore (Lib Dem, Yate North), cabinet member for planning, regeneration and infrastructure, told the meeting: “If you remove that condition, there will be no control over the vehicles going into an employment zone, thundering through a residential area 24/7.

“I have never seen a level of objection to anything, anywhere in Yate on that scale – it is a huge level of objection.”

A planning officer told members that the change of use to have more general industry, approved by the committee last year, would actually result in fewer vehicles, so the condition was not reasonable.

She said a second new condition that was also added at the time required businesses at the industrial estates to have their hours of deliveries signed off by the council, which gave the local authority control to spread out HGV movements more thinly across 24 hours and that this addressed the concerns.

The officer said: “People bought the houses in the full knowledge of that employment site and when there were no restrictions on deliveries at all.

“In fact because of the change of use it’s been demonstrated there would be fewer vehicles, so actually it’s an improvement.”

Cllr June Bamford (Conservative, Hanham) said: “It’s a difficult one because people want to enjoy their home in peace, but we all know with these large developments that circumstances change and developers want to adjust things.

“I would not like to see huge lorries going along that road, it would put residents’ safety in jeopardy.

“But as our officer says, these HGVs are not allowed to deliver during certain hours.”

Yate Town Council and 207 residents lodged objections to the application by BDW Trading, and there were two letters in support.

The application will go up to the spatial planning committee whose next meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 20.