Council chiefs are celebrating a planning victory which will see an unauthorised lorry park removed from the Hampshire countryside.

A planning appeal has been successfully defended by Eastleigh Borough Council, who can now take action to curtail industrial expansion into the gap in Botley. 

A five-day public inquiry was sparked by a landowner’s appeal against the Council’s decision to refuse a certificate of lawful existing use for the parking of HGV vehicles and trailers on land at Broadway Farm, Broad Oak.

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Designated as an agricultural field, the land is located in the countryside and within the green gap separating Botley and Hedge End.

The landowner claimed that the site had been used for the parking of motorised vehicles for more than a decade, but a Planning Inspectorate appeal inspector has now upheld the council's refusal of planning permission.

He said there was insufficient evidence to prove that the site had been used for this purpose for a ten-year period.

The council have confirmed they can now take enforcement action to have the unauthorised lorry park removed, returning the area to a field.

The Chair of the Hedge End, West End & Botley Local Area Committee, Councillor Cynthia Garton, said: “Protecting green spaces between our towns and villages is a key objective for the Council and we’re delighted that the Planning Inspector supported the Council’s decision to refuse permission for what was effectively a small lorry park in the countryside."

The appeal, made by Maurice Doe of haulage firm CCW Services Ltd, was against Eastleigh Borough Council's refusal to grant a certificate of lawful use or development (LDC) back in August last year.

The inquiry centred around various pieces of evidence to suggest how long the site had been used for parking of heavy vehicles and trailers and also whether concrete had been laid there. 

Evidence included aerial photography and Google Earth imagery. A number of appearances were made by witnesses on both sides during five days of evidence, plus a site visit.

The report, by Inspector AA Phillips, concluded that the council's refusal was 'well-founded' and 'the appeal should fail'.