Philip and Irene Le Marquand say that they face living with the disruption of dust, noise and traffic at their home near Les Charrières de Bonne Nuit. They live close to McQuaig’s Quarry, a major site that hosts several commercial operations.
The pair were involved in a lengthy legal battle after Reg’s Skips moved to the site in 2008.
They raised concerns that the business was operating in breach of the permitted use of the area by sorting material on site rather than simply storing it there.
Eventually Mr and Mrs Le Marquand won a Royal Court appeal against the company’s plans to operate at McQuaig’s Quarry, but say they felt the seven-year process was not conducted efficiently and that action was taken only after pressure from residents.
A contentious planning application which was at the heart of the matter was withdrawn by Reg’s Skips earlier this summer and the owners of the business say their operation in the area has been greatly reduced.
However, Mr and Mrs Le Marquand say that McQuaig’s Quarry is being overused by other companies which are based there.
In a statement they said: ‘Summer is the worst, because of the noise, traffic and dust and the sound of metal on metal with the clanking and moving of skips.
‘If the access road had been tarred, it might have been better in terms of the daily noise and disruption.’
They explained that they had ‘lost faith’ in the Planning Department, but would ideally like the storage provision allowed at the site to be withdrawn, as they believe it is being used to cover a range of activities that go beyond what is permitted.
‘It is time for this site in a rural area to be brought under strict control,’ the statement added.
However, Yannick Fillieul, a Planning Department business manager, explained that the site had permission to be used by commercial operators. ‘As far as we can see, no illegal activities are being carried out on the site,’ he said.
‘It might be that neighbours feel it is not to their liking, but that doesn’t mean it is not a permitted activity. Users there are permitted to run it as a commercial site.’
Mr Fillieul added that while there was a complaints procedure open to residents who had planning grievances, the process often took time.
