Extended vehicle operating hours at Henley Business Park, Normandy, Guildford
Summary of planning committee decision
Deferred by Guildford Planning Committee on 4 Mar 2026.
The site and surroundings
Unit 9 is a large industrial unit at Henley Business Park, near residential properties, woodland and protected nature sites.
“Henley Business Park is a Major Developed Site (MDS) inset within the Green Belt. It is identified as a Strategic Employment Site (industrial) under Policy E3 (paragraph 4) of the Local Plan: Strategy and Sites (LPSS). The site also lies within the 0–400 metre buffer of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (SPA) and comprises a range of industrial units.”
“Conservation (SAC). Unit 9, to which this application relates, is located on the southern side of the final phase of the development and is one of the larger units on the site, with a floorspace of approximately 1,452 sqm.”
Officer report
What officers recommended
Officers recommended approval because the proposal was considered unlikely to cause material harm to the area, neighbours or highway safety.
“The main issue relates to the proposed change in operating hours for commercial vehicles at Unit 9, given its proximity to residential properties.”
“The proposed variation would not result in any material adverse impact on the character of the area, highway safety, nor would it have a detrimental effect on the residential amenities of the occupiers of neighbouring properties.”
Officer report
Noise and traffic assessment
The assessment found the proposed vehicle movements acceptable with reversing alarms disabled, loading indoors and existing forklift controls retained.
“The noise assessment submitted for Unit 9 concludes that allowing up to 30 HGV movements between 19:00–23:00 and 20 movements between 23:00–07:00 would not cause unacceptable noise impacts, provided reversing alarms are disabled, loading/unloading occurs indoors, and forklifts are not used overnight.”
“The Industrial Noise Impact Assessment (Sound Advice, Feb 2025) was reviewed with further clarification sought from the applicant. An assessment in accordance with the British Standard guidance concluded that the predicted noise levels meet required standards for both day and night.”
Officer report
What consultees said
Highways and Environmental Health raised no objection, while Pirbright and Ash parish councils objected to the extended hours.
“Environmental Health Officer - No objection to the variation of Condition 12 of permission 18/P/02289 in relation to Unit 9 only.”
Officer report
Residents’ concerns
Twenty representations raised concerns about night-time noise, residential disruption, increased traffic, precedents and the possibility of subdividing the unit.
“Disruption to nearby residential amenities • Noise pollution at night-time • Increased traffic • It would create an unacceptable precedent for extending operating hours across other units at Henley Business Park.”
Officer report
Why the decision was deferred
Additional information required a revised report, so the recommendation was withdrawn and the application was deferred to a future meeting.
“The Joint Assistant Director for Planning advised the committee that additional information had been provided which needed to be addressed in a revised report, rather than dealt with through an update sheet. As a result the recommendations within the report were withdrawn, and the item was recommended for deferral.”
“RESOLVED: That application 25/P/00760 be deferred to a future meeting.”
Minutes
Sources
- Guildford Planning Committee minutes, 4 March 2026
- Agenda and papers (council website)
Source: Plota analysis of Guildford's committee minutes and officer report. Quotations are the council's own words; headings and summaries are Plota's.
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See the API →At the meeting
- Committee
- Guildford Planning Committee
- Council
- Guildford
- Date
- Wednesday 4 March 2026
- Recommendation
- Officers recommended approval
- Committee decided
- Deferred
- Minutes
- The council's minutes
- Meeting
- Agenda and papers (council website)
- Application
- The application (council website)
- All decisions
- Guildford committee decisions →
This committee's year
45 decisions in the 12 months to this meeting, 8 against officer advice.
Source: Plota analysis of the committee's minutes.