A LORRY park in Ross-on-Wye, which has been in operation for over 35 years, now has official status.

Richard Williams of RG and RB Williams Auctioneers Ltd explained that he had been asked to submit an application to obtain a lawful development certificate for the truck stop, which is included as part of the livestock market site on Netherton Road.

Mr Williams said that any original documentation dating back to the late 1980s was no longer available, and because he couldn’t establish when the highways signs on the roundabout had been erected, he had to go through the process of obtaining a certificate.

Mr Williams states that not long after the site was completed in 1988, the local authority approached the company to ask if it would allow lorry parking on the site.

“This was to elevate lorry parking on the streets around Ross,” Mr Williams said. “Which we agreed to. I can only assume at this point the highway signs on the roundabout were changed to show that this site as a lorry park.

“Finding a paper trail wasn’t easy, as by law we do not have to keep records longer than six years.

“However, we did manage to find a number of documents dating back to the year 2000.”

Joshua Evans, a Herefordshire planning officer said: “Upon careful consideration, the evidence provided is deemed sufficient to demonstrate that the proposed use has been ongoing for a period exceeding the time frames stipulated.

“Accordingly, the Local Planning Authority has no alternative but to issue a Certificate of Lawfulness for the proposed use.”

Mr Evans stated that this certificate confirms that an existing use is lawful for planning purposes and the application is based solely on the evidence presented.

The determination relies on the ‘balance of probabilities’ test as the applicant provided clear and convincing evidence.