A project proposed by Standby Self Storage Ltd. was recently rejected in Thames Ditton, Surrey, England, after more than 100 people protested during an Oct. 19 city-planning meeting. The planning commission also received 104 letters in objection prior to the meeting.
The desired development site is on Angel Road, under a bridge in a suburban village near River Thames. The storage facility would include 15 single-stacked containers, an 8-foot-high, spiked entrance gate, floodlights, and video cameras. Most recently, the land had been used to store about 30 cars and roofing materials, according to the source.
Residents voiced their concerns about security lights flooding into their homes, video cameras impinging on their privacy, and a devaluation of their properties, the source reported. “The location could not be more unsuitable and potentially dangerous,” one resident said. “It is the narrowest part of the road, already frequently congested by [trucks] who either fail to see, or ignore, the low-bridge warning and are then obliged to reverse [on] Angel Road, creating risks for cars and cyclists.”
The increase in traffic to the storage site would be unsafe along the narrow roadway, opponents said. The Surrey County Council didn’t object to the storage proposal, claiming no personal-injury accidents had occurred on Angel Road specifically under the bridge in the past five years, the source reported.
After the commission rejected the plan, residents expressed their gratitude on social media.
Founded in 2008, Standby Self Storage operates four facilities in Croydon, Epsom, Horsham, and Molesey, all in Surrey. The properties offer archiving and document storage, mailbox services, racking and shelving rental, tenant insurance, and moving and packing supplies.
Sources:
- Your Local Guardian: 'Unsuitable' Storage Site Plan in Middle of Residential Street Rejected
