Cinch Self Storage has put up a sign at the old Vauxhall garage off the A4 Bath Road in Chippenham promising that a large facility will be “opening soon” after plans were approved by Wiltshire Council.
An application to demolish the former garage, which has been empty for years, and replace it with a three-storey storage facility was given the green light in January.
Previous designs for the scheme would have seen a larger building constructed, but these were withdrawn and amended plans were submitted last April.
Both the original and amended plans were controversial amongst some of the site’s neighbours and some town councillors.
They were concerned about the impact of the new facility on traffic and noise pollution in neighbouring streets.
At a town council planning committee meeting last year, Cllr Matthew Bragg said: “I’d still have concerns about the volume of traffic and type of traffic accessing the site, it’s likely to be removal vans and minivans and that sort of stuff rather than small cars.
“I think the noise and traffic might be larger than the estimates portray, so I think an alternative access to the site would be better.”
Residents like Dan Taylor lodged objections with Wiltshire Council in a bid to block the scheme.
He added: “This is a housing estate not an industrial estate. The size of the building, the effect on people’s lives around the area, the extra traffic noise.
“My back garden backs onto this site, this should not be allowed to happen.”
John Dingle, an agent who acted on behalf of Cinch Self Storage during the planning process, insisted the firm had made significant changes to its plans to improve the designs for residents.
