A CAR sales business has had its application to turn a former council depot car park into a storage space turned down after it was found that “significantly more” vehicles were using the site than had been suggested.

KK Motorz, Deane Road, Bolton, applied for retrospective consent to convert an area at the front of the former Monton Street Depot for the storage of vehicles ­- with eight parking spaces and two disabled bays out of the 14 spaces set to remain for community use.

The application was to store vehicles and the only vehicle movements would be to restock the garage due to sales of vehicles at the Deane Road site.

Residents objected to the plans with 10 letters against the proposals being made.

The application proposed a two-year temporary permission at the north-eastern corner of the site.

“The application says a total of eight parking spaces and two disabled parking spaces will remain and vehicles will not be sold at the site.

“Despite the above, the site plan does not show where the remaining eight parking spaces are available.

“Furthermore, the site plan only shows eight vehicles to be stored on the site.

“However the number of vehicles on the site differs depending on when the vehicles are transported to and from KK Motorz.

“From what was witnessed at the site visit, the site at times, shows significantly more than eight vehicles, therefore there is no certainty that eight parking spaces and two disabled parking spaces would remain available.

“Furthermore, photographic evidence shows vehicles and delivery vehicles being parked on the highway associated with the site showing that at times there is a clear overspill of vehicles wanting to be stored at the site and large delivery vehicles parking on the surrounding streets.

“Based on the evidence gathered on site the proposal would adversely impact onto the road network, highways and pedestrian safety,” it added.

One objector to the proposal said ‘many cars are now being parked around the area, people cannot find a parking space’ and another said ‘the site is already being used for the storage and scrappage and stacking of vehicles and vans on the site, and also indiscriminate parking of the vehicles’.

The application was refused on the grounds that ' the storage of vehicles would result in insufficient provision for car parking in connection with the existing use'.