A Forfar family may sell their “dream family home” due to disruptive motorcar fans working on their machines through the night in lock-ups close to their back garden.
Six families on Queen Margaret’s Gait, which backs onto lockups at Craig O’Loch Road, have objected to retrospective plans to reclassify the units to allow car fans to pursue their hobby.
The residents say the work has turned the mixed-use site into a “scrapyard”, creates noise pollution and poses a threat to health and safety.
One lock-up occupant has been given three months to remove an illegal caravan found to have people living in it on the site.
Planning officials have nevertheless recommended councillors approve the application from Taylor Shepherd Homes Ltd at a meeting on August 6.
They have proposed a list of conditions designed to minimise the disturbance created at the garages.
Craig Beaton, 3 Queen Margaret’s Gait, said the noise has upset his young family and turned the site into an “unsightly tipping ground” including wrecked vehicles.
The objectors says the lock-ups are only 8m away from the nearest back garden, with the garages 22m from Mr Beaton’s property.
The former Angus County Press premises on the eastern side of Craig O’ Loch Road in Forfar include a row of nine small units situated within a single storey brick building.
Mr Beaton said his family had lived in the house that backs onto the site for eight years.
“The ongoing noise and disturbance has been a constant worry and concern for us. On numerous occasions we have discussed the idea to sell and move away from our dream family home,” he said.
He said the noise occurred “late into the night and into the early hours of the morning” and included “banging, revving of engines, backfiring from exhausts and tyres screeching.”
“The noise renders our private gardens unusable at times and in the evening we are unable to leave the windows ajar due to the noise generated from the lockups.
“We are still disturbed while sitting in the comfort of our lounge due to noise. This has on occasion woken up not only our young family in the evening, but also ourselves in the early hours of the morning.
“We have contacted the police on multiple occasions,” he added.
Paul Robertson, 5 Queen Margaret’s Gait, said: “These lock-ups have become a blight on the surrounding area. I have health and safety concerns regarding the storage of multiple vehicles in various states of repair.
“The local authorities have allowed these practices to go on long enough, with our concerns and complaints to local authorities and police falling on deaf ears.”
A report from planning and communities service leader Kate Cowey said environmental agency SEPA had visited the site and were content it was not being used as a breakers yard.
She said: “This is a mixed use area has been used for business related activity for a considerable number of years. The nature of the activities undertaken at the site have changed and now give rise to greater amenity impacts. It is considered that those uses can coexist in a mixed use area subject to appropriate controls.”
Controls include measures to restrict activity to working hours.
The agent representing the owner of the lockups said their client did not want to comment ahead of the Development Standards Committee meeting.
