Telford storage firm wins container permission after four years

Kens Cabinet, on Stafford Park, started out as a coffee shop but the firm said it realised there was a demand for a lock-up facility, so bought nearby land and rented 14 containers.

Director Kenneth Shaw’s representative said he believed the structures did not need planning permission, as “they were moveable and did not have foundations or a base”, but sought retrospective permission and added 11 more when the modular coffee shop building needed replacing.

Telford & Wrekin Council’s planning department granted consent this week.

In a supporting letter, application agent Michael Lay, of Halesown-based MFL Design, told planners: “The applicant first opened a coffee shop on the site in order to provide refreshment facilities for people working on Stafford Park.

Rented

“Originally the area currently occupied by the storage containers was not in the applicant’s ownership but, having realised there was a local need for temporary storage facilities – during a house move or to safely store bulky, infrequently-used items – he purchased the site and some storage containers.

“He was under the impression that, as they were moveable and did not have foundations or a base, planning permission was not required.

“The storage containers are rented on a weekly basis. They have now been in use for four years without any complaints or objections and virtually all have been in use at all times.

“The original coffee house building has now reached the end of its life and needs replacing. However, due to the increase of similar establishments on Stafford Park, including roadside vans, a smaller building is all that is required.”

Mr Lay adds that Mr Shaw, of Meeson, who is a director of KBS Property Ltd, does not want to close the coffee shop down altogether “as it is an established use and provides employment for local people”, but is instead repositioning it to make room for the additional 11 storage containers.