Hart District Council has been successful in its recent application for a ‘Site Closure Order’ under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013.
The Council has been working with partners including the Police, Hampshire County Council and Natural England to seek to resolve matters at the Scrap Metal dealer and Motor salvage business located at Totters Lane, Hartley Wintney.
The business was carrying out unlicensed dismantling of vehicles which encroached onto the public highway and the adjacent Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Daryl Phillips, Joint Chief Executive at Hart District Council said: “This has been a long running case where a business has been causing blight to the area, impacting local residents and destroying a SSSI. Our officers have been working hard with partner agencies to gain evidence, through a range of site visits in order to apply for a site closure order.”
The order was granted at Basingstoke Magistrates court on the 14 March following a failure to comply with a closure notice issued by the Council’s Environmental Health team in April 2017.
Patricia Hughes, Joint Chief Executive at Hart District Council, added: “The granted order is one of the first to be issued anywhere in the country. The final terms of the order are still to be agreed due to the ground breaking nature of the case. All Scrap Metal Dealer business activity will be banned from the site and strict measures be proposed to help remove the extensive area of damaged and scrap commercial vehicles. Failure to comply may result in criminal enforcement and loss of held payment to the court.”
Hart District Council’s Environmental Health team are responsible for Scrap Metal Dealers licensing and will take firm action against unlicensed businesses. For more information about Scrap Metal Dealers Act and licensing, please visit www.hart.gov.uk/scrap-metal
Source: www.hart.gov.uk
