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Parish council voices opposition to taxis left on field in Thornwood



A parish council has signalled its opposition to allow more than 200 London taxis to continue to be store on green belt land.

Members of North Weald Parish Council have unanimously expressed their dissatisfaction of the use of land at Weald Park Farm in Thornwood.

At last Thursday's meeting, parish councillors were told the land off Duck Lane has been used as a car park for taxis for a year.

GB Taxi Services has submitted a retrospective planning application to Epping Forest District Council which confirms the company has 212 vehicles on the land.

Planning documents state the taxis are not currently needed because of the downturn in the taxi trade during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By November, the north London-based rental company said it had seen the occupation rate of its fleet of 100 black cabs plummet from 95 per cent before the crisis to just 10 per cent.

GB Taxi Services, one of two firms using the land to store taxis, is seeking temporary permission, for one year from spring 2021 to spring 2022, to store the vehicles on the land.

However the parish council was told the vehicles have been on the site since April last year.

Speaking at the meeting, Councillor Terry Blanks said: "This is a totally inappropriate use of a farm, it's more like a field than a farm.

"There are 200 older taxis parked there already. They started off (parked) relatively neat; some are clearly being repaired. This is not a place to park old cabs."

He added North Weald Airfield would be a "far more appropriate" place to park the vehicles than a farm.

Councillor Sheila Jackman called on the parish council to lodge a "strong" objection".

She said: "They (the taxis) have already been there for a year. They've been breaking the regulations.

"If it was to be given permission it's effectively giving permission for two years and I really don't think that's on."

Councillor Anne Grigg said: "It's simply inappropriate development in the Green Belt."

Last year, catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters were stolen from around 50 taxis.

Simon Georgiou, a director at GB Taxi Services, said in November: "We got our knees taken away with Covid and loads of vehicles getting handed back. Then this theft happens, which cost in excess of £120,000. We’re in a right mess."

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IDFIMH

No that's called Blackpool.

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IDFIMH

They aren't old it's just there's too many out there for the numbers of London Cabbies still working

and if I remember correctly Derby used to have a pretty ancient fleet as well

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

If they do have to move them, they’ll need quite a few booster packs and plenty of easy start, TX’s don’t like being left a for week never mind a year!

But presumably exaggerates the low occupancy rates compared to the trade as a whole. Lots of owner drivers will no doubt have kept their cars even if not working much or not at all, but the rental drivers will just hand them back.

Would have guessed they'd still be a bit more than 10% occupied, though, but suppose it depends on what they're charging for rent and whether it's discounted etc

And that was back in November, so maybe things have improved since then.

some of those vehicles are probably out of plate now so might be costly to put them back on the road

If trade is anything like around here it probably hasn't improved much at all nobody is commuting to London these days so doubt the ranks are any busier

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Suspect it's wishful thinking on behalf of the rental firm that they'll ever get these cabs back on the road, or at least all of them

Terrible that the parishioners are having their view spoiled, though


North Weald: Taxi firm wants field for storage

https://www.eppingforestguardian.co.uk/ ... d-storage/

PARISH councillors have hit out at a taxi company over plans for it to use a second field to store vehicles which are out of use due to the Covid pandemic.

North Weald Parish councillors and residents say proposals by GB Taxi Services for it to temporarily store the vehicles at Chase Farm, off Vicarage Lane, North Weald, until July next year must not go ahead.

They are also calling for enforcement action after the vehicles were moved onto the land without permission.

The firm has confirmed that vehicles have been moved onto the site since April.

It follows a previous application, which is still to be determined by Epping Forest District Council, for more than 200 taxis to be stored at Weald Place Farm, off Duck Lane in Thornwood.

Parish councillor Sheila Jackman told the meeting, which voted to object to the Chase Farm application: “I think it’s completely unacceptable. We objected to the other one at Weald Place Farm and I would object most strongly to this one.

“It’s most unfair on the residents looking out on ranks and ranks of taxis when they had open fields before.”

She added: “When we had the first application we put it to the district council that we didn’t agree and for enforcement action to be taken.

“I feel very, very strongly that we object to this on the grounds of overlooking and the green belt.

Councillor Anne Grigg said: “They are asking for a temporary time period for a year. I don’t want them there at all. We don’t think any time should be granted and Epping Forest District Council should take enforcement action immediately.”

Resident David Sisson told the meeting he could see “a field full of taxis” from his property.

He said: “It’s quite a sight, especially as planning permission hasn’t been granted for all of them to be here. “We believe they have been moved there from Thornwood because of vandalism. We have already had some of the taxis here vandalised. If someone was to set fire to one of them, what on earth would happen? It’s just frightening.”

A spokesman for GB Taxi Services said: “GB Taxi Services is a family-run taxi rental company that has been operating for the past 10 years and the only reason these London taxis are at Chase Farm is a result of coronavirus pandemic. Up until March 2020, all these taxis were rented out to drivers and kept at their properties, occasionally coming back to the garage site in Enfield for repair and MOTs or when a driver swapped taxis however, they would then be rented straight back out.

“Prior to being moved to Chase Farm, the taxis were stored on Weald Place Farm. We chose Chase Farm as it is a gated secure site and well screened from the surrounding area by trees, high fences, established vegetation and existing greenhouses and barns. The taxi therefore can not be seen from the wider landscape or surrounding roads.”

They said it is ‘in their interest’ to get them back on the road as soon as possible.

“As we have explained in the planning application submission, the site is only for storage so there is no noise and no extra local traffic around the site as a result of the use. The planning application is for a temporary time period of a year, as this is by no means a permanent solution and has very much been an emergency measure in response to the pandemic while the London taxi trade gets back to normal. The longer the taxis are off the road the less these taxis are worth, so it is in our interest to get them back on the road as soon as possible.”

the insurance would have a big payout to make so don't give them ideas

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

You have to wonder if most of those vehicles will ever make it back on the London ranks.

Some will, but loads will end up going up north, or going to the scrap yard.

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IDFIMH

In many if not most areas oop north the age on first plating requirements would rule them out not to mention CAZ's

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector