Field turned into builder's yard without permission given retrospective approval

A Cambridgeshire builder who unlawfully converted a field into a builder’s yard will be allowed to continue to use the land for his business.

Simon Rutterford has been granted part-retrospective planning permission to use the field bordering Eastwood Industrial Estate in Wimblington for storing and transporting his construction materials, around a year after he began the conversion.

He has also been granted permission to install storage bays, a portacabin office, metal fencing and an attenuation pond.

Despite Fenland District Council’s (FDC) planning officers’ recommendation to reject his application, councillors said businesses such as Mr Rutterford’s “need to be able to thrive,” as Cllr Ian Benney (Conservatives) put it.

Cllr Rob Skoulding (Conservatives) agreed at an FDC planning meeting that it’s “nice to see businesses succeeding” and that the builder’s yard fits “perfectly” with the existing industrial estate.

Cllr Mark Purser (Conservatives) agreed that it’s “superb” to see someone expanding a business they started on their own, adding that “it’s an ideal place and it’s hurting nobody”.

Mr Rutterford has been self-employed in the construction business in Fenland for more than 20 years, his agent Matthew Hall said, and currently employs 12 people.

He plans to run three lorries from the site, he added, which would transport materials to construction sites in the area six days a week.

Field becoming ‘local eyesore’

But local residents have said that Mr Rutterford is turning the field into a “local eyesore” which “will be detrimental to wellbeing”.

Cllr Maureen Davis (Conservatives), who opposed the proposal, agreed that residents are “suffering” because the council has allowed both residential and industrial development around Eastwood End.

She also raised concerns about the safety of the roads in the area, where she said there have already been two accidents, and the optics of granting planning permission after the fact.

“What message does this send out?” she said. “That someone can come along and install a load of fencing, a load of earth, and say I’ve got this piece of land and I’m just going to do with it what I will?”

Builder ‘pushed’ to use land without permission

But Cllr Benney said that Mr Rutterford had been “pushed” to using the field without planning permission, which he first applied for in May last year.

“I think the man has probably been pushed into a position where his business is expanding faster than we can react and therefore he’s had to do what he’s had to do to look after it,” he said.

Cllr Charlie Marks (Independent) added that local residents concerned about the development “have to realise what’s on their doorstep” as the industrial estate predates the houses.

Planning officers said that the application contravenes FDC’s Local Plan and pointed out that another application to use the same field for industrial purposes has previously been rejected because it utilises agricultural land.

But ultimately the planning committee voted against their recommendation and granted planning permission with eight votes to three.