AN application to site more than 100 shipping containers on a farm at Coldharbour, Chickerell has been refused.

Dorset Council say the application for up to 109 storage containers at Coldharbour Farm would amount to an unacceptable use in a rural area - affecting nearby residents.

Local councillors, the town council, Weymouth Civic Society and three people living in the area had raised similar concerns.

Said the Chickerell Town Council objection: “It is an over industrialisation of a rural area.  Councillors are very concerned about the increase in traffic that this would cause on what is a rural road with no pavements, thus affecting the safety of pedestrians.”

Roads in the area, which are within a 40mph limit, are mostly without pavements. Highways officers had raised no objection to the proposal.

A planning case officer report said there has been a number of unauthorised containers on the site with the Environment Agency currently investigating materials which appeared to have been left on the land.

His report said that the likely use of the containers, for storage and distribution, could generate a large volume of traffic in a relatively tranquil location, over seven days each week, concluding: “The scale, extent and design of this scheme is unacceptable for a range of reasons including visual impact, ecological impact, lack of a suitable existing building, and likely impacts on residential amenity. Hence the scheme is contrary to a range of policies.”