Industrial use of residential land 'temporary'

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p2313-Ragonesi-car-dump
By ERWIN CHLANDA
 
The towing and recycling company Russ Driver and Co says it is using a block zoned rural residential in the “farm area” for storing car wrecks while sorting out a bottleneck with scrap metal sales.
 
Liz Driver says this is a temporary solution while “we cannot get rid of scrap metal” and the company’s Sargent Street premises are full.
 
“World markets for scrap metal have fallen. There is no value in scrap metal as China and others are not buying any products and no-one knows how long this will be for.”
 
However, the problem in the farm area will be resolved “in a couple of months,” she says, when the wrecks and company vehicles now stored there will be removed again.
 
Ms Driver says the neighbours have been informed and they are not objecting: “We thank everyone for their patience.”
 
She says the company is installing a baling machine – a press that reduces the volume of a car to a fraction of its normal size.
 
It should be operational in the next few weeks.
 
NOTE: We have removed the street name from this report upon request from Ms Driver.
 
 

5 COMMENTS

  1. So why continue to take on scrap value vehicles if the price has dropped out of the market and you can’t fit any more into your appropriately zoned yard?
    Or have these been collected from the side of the road as some kind of overall community benefit. I’m sure there’s an economic reason to visually pollute the rural area in there somewhere.

  2. Actually, there have been three formal complaints lodged regarding the storage of these vehicles.
    Also, there was information relayed to neighbours from the property owners that this situation would be rectified by the end of March 2016.
    Now Mrs. Driver has indicated that the situation will not be resolved in the immediate future.
    Lands, Planning and the Town Council need to address this issue and use their powers within the bylaws to rectify the problem. Or are they happy to sit on the sidelines while Russ Driver and Co remove cars from the roadside for free (ultimately storing them on a property not zoned for this purpose).
    If the price is not there to pick up abandoned cars, then don’t do it or charge the council a fee for immediate recycling!

  3. If it is the same Liz Driver I know, she contributes to our community, if you start hounding her and her business it will be another one that has fallen over.
    The price of real estate is shot to shit anyway. So what are you people complaining about. Give them a chance for Christ’s sake. They are not selling, drugs unlike others.

  4. The NT Planning Scheme is quite clear – this activity, under whatever heading you like to place it (car park, general industry, light industry, motor body works, motor repair station, recycling depot, vehicle sales and hire or warehouse) is declared prohibited in zones Rural Residential, Rural Living and Rural.
    Full stop!

  5. People could’ve just considered the situation rather than complaining. Anyway, they promised to install the baling machine for these abandoned cars.

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