PLANS by the Co-op store in South Cerney to build a storage container have been given the go-ahead by Cotswold District Council.

The district council’s planning committee voted to permit the application on the condition that there would be time limits to the operation of the storage compound.

The proposed storage building will be located away from the shop’s frontage on to the high street and would take away one parking bay.

Cllr Juliet Layton, representing the South Cerney ward, spoke at the planning meeting on Wednesday, April 12: “The dangers of this development is noise and loss of parking. The building will be more destructive to the village than anyone imagined.

“The access is for the houses. It is a small area up that driveway and that will be excessively noisy.

“This is a very residential area. There are three houses in the immediate vicinity of the site. I think we need to give people who are in the yard of that Co-op an element of peace and quiet because they are the residents who are living there.”

Cllr Patrick Coleman agreed with Cllr Layton that there may be difficulties with access, saying: “It is very difficult driving past this site. I think they may have missed a couple of relevant highway standards here.”

Councillors said that the moving of in-house storage to a new building meant that it was likely that the store planned to increase retail space.

Cllr Mark Harris expressed concern about the loss of one parking space and that the possible increase in employees at the store would create additional traffic in the village.

Cllr David Fowles supported the application, telling councillors that the district needed to accept and support the site’s A1 retail use.