A CAR dealership which opened on land described as “decaying and overgrown” has been forced to shut after opening without planning permission.
Rydding Lane Auto Sale, in Rydding Lane, West Bromwich, began operating from the site last year despite not having consent for car sales.
According to the Express & Star, the business submitted a retrospective planning application only after Sandwell Council had begun enforcement action over the unauthorised change of use.
Council planning officers refused the application, concluding that a car sales operation was inappropriate in the location and would harm the amenity of nearby residents.
They said the “comings and goings” linked to car sales, including frequent visits and vehicle movements, were out of keeping with what they described as an otherwise predominantly residential area.
The council said: “The car sales use and associated comings and goings is inappropriate in the locality and has a detrimental impact on the amenity of an otherwise predominantly residential area.
“The retention of the car sales use would impact on the highway network due to visitors to the site and manoeuvring of vehicle stock.”
In their report, planners noted that the plot is unallocated under the council’s planning policies, is partly occupied by domestic garages and borders residential gardens on two sides.
While the site also sits next to commercial premises – including a pub and restaurant and a barbers – the council said placing a commercial car sales use directly alongside private gardens created an incompatible relationship that should be resisted.
Officers suggested the use would be better located in a designated employment area.
The report added that the proposal did not represent a substantial investment in the area.
It also noted that even if the scheme had been considered potentially acceptable, any permission would likely have needed to be temporary to allow the council to assess issues such as nuisance to residents and highway impacts.
Elsewhere, a trial ban on overnight motorhome and campervan parking along parts of a coastal hotspot could become permanent.
Parking between 11pm and 7am at North Bay in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, was first banned back in November 2024 through an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order.
Now, councillors are due to decide whether to make it permanent – despite significant public opposition.
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