A STONE yard owner has applied for permanent planning permission to run his business as he contests an enforcement action by Bradford Council against his firm.

A K Stratford Stone Supplies, which has been running part of its stone reclamation business at Friars industrial estate in Bradford Road, Idle, has applied to the Council for a continuation of use as a stone dealers and masons yard after he was granted temporary planning permission in August last year.

Owner Kurt Stratford won consent in the face of neighbours' complaints about the noise generated by the work to tip and reclaim stone at the premises.

The temporary permission was given with 16 conditions for the business to fulfil which would limit the way the site would be operated.

These included no stone processing activities taking place between 6pm and 8am weekdays and from 1pm on Saturdays until 8am on Mondays. No sandblasting taking place at the site unless a sandblasting method statement has been submitted to the local planning authority.

The continuation of use application was submitted to Bradford Council last month and is now pending consideration.

Mr Stratford, who has been operating at the site since 1994, also built a wall and a two-metre high bund to block noise which meant that disturbance appeared to be below the threshold of acceptability.

Environmental health officers also confirmed there was no issue with dust to cause problems.

He said: "It's unbelievably frustrating going through this whole situation. It's just been a nightmare.

"I just want this to be sorted out now. It's cost me thousands of pounds in planning consultants' fees and applications over the years but I have to adhere to the rules.

"The continuation of use application is just for part of my yard."

The design statement, submitted with the application, states: "The yard has been operating for 11 months since the temporary approval and has instigated all the requirements of that approval and modified its operating methods accordingly.

"Environmental Health has investigated various complaints and found no evidence of statutory nuisance."

Meanwhile, Mr Stratford is still waiting to hear back from the office of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government after lodging an appeal against Bradford Council's enforcement notice which was issued in January this year.

The enforcement action was made against the business for using what Bradford Council said was formerly a grass verge.

Mr Stratford contends the area was formerly unused and overgrown and formed part of an expansion of the business in 2003 and is used to store pallets of stone.

He is trying to gain a certificate of lawful use but a decision will not be made until a planning inspector has carried out a site visit.