A Poole business urges local residents to work with them to minimise impact of car stacking system

A Car Recycling site in Poole is pleading with locals to work with them in making a new car stacking system less of an eyesore. 

 Tensions continue to rise between car recycling plant Charles Trent and the residents of Ringwood Road. This comes after the company erected a new five car stacking system in preparation for the development of a new recycling building on site.

The structures started to gain attention when they were assembled in December of last year. Residents and Poole Borough Council had concerns as to whether the structures where in fact legal and is they required planning permission. Charles Trent has said that they have sought legal advice and advice from the planning board and says that: “There’s nothing in the planning law that states that we need to have panning permission.”

Residents are unhappy as the steel structure stands approximately ten meters high and obstructs the views from many of their gardens.

In an interview with the project manager at Charles Trent, Sanna Atherton, she expressed how communication between the company and residents could lead to improvements: “In the eyes of the Law they are allowed, so apart from taking them down what can we do to help? Perhaps to screen it? Just do something to make it less of an eyesore. We did talk about planting trees and if that would help. Ideally we just want the residents to talk to us.”

Carole Goddard and her partner have lived at a property on Ringwood Road, which overlooks the car recycling plant, for 18 months. The Goddard’s concerns and upset with the recent and planned developments and more recently, new security lights have been affecting their ability to sleep.

She Said:“Apparently any objections about what the stacking system looks like from our gardens or the undoubted loss of property prices is of no relevance to the planners whatsoever.”

Carole Goddard worries about how property prices in the area will be effected due to the new skyline: “Its too late to relocate. Nobody would now want to buy a house in this area unless the price was lowered considerable to take the Trent’s monstrosity into account.”

Another resident got in contact to express just how much this has affected their daily lives:

“The sight is very overbearing, ugly and overshadowing. We find it very upsetting to have to look at the sight of these cars every day. It has a negative effect on the skyline and landscape and its is clearly visible to many residential properties in the surrounding area. Your home is supposed to be your sanctuary and a place you feel safe in. We do not feel that anymore.”

When speaking with Project Manager Sanna Atherton, she expressed that she is empathetic towards residents and understands their frustration and upset. Mrs Atherton explained that there has been research into wheather some sort of camouflage like netting or trees could be used to make the structure less impacting and the she wishes residents would respond to communication requests from the company so that they can work together to come to a compromise: “’Unfortunately, none of the residents picked up the opportunity to do any two-way communication, which is a shame.”

I discussed the idea of camouflage netting and planting trees with local resident Carole Goddard who said: “It seems like a good idea in principle- anything that disguises what is now there has to be an improvement.”

After stating that unless planning laws change, the stacking system will remain, Charles Trent is appealing to residents to put forward suggestions and respond to ideas from the company so that they can work on any future developments and problems together: “it can’t just be ‘take them down we don’t like them’, there has to be compromise. So what can we do with the situation that were in?”