Councillors vote against new taxi office plans after the PSNI and 120 residents object to the proposal

A recommendation to approve a proposed new taxi office in Derry has been turned down by councillors after the PSNI and almost 130 residents objected to the proposal.

Skeoge Taxis wants to open an office at a row of shops on the Greenhaw Road (pictured).

The application came before a meeting of Derry City and Strabane Council’s Planning Committee, held in Strabane yesterday.

The owners said there would be no public access to the office after 10pm each evening, even though the office would be staff 24 hours a day.

However, 129 people living in surrounding streets such as Greenhaw Road, Danesfort Crescent and Hampstead Park have sent letters of objection to the local council’s planning department.

Their objections were supported by Inspector Johnny Hunter from the PSNI, who said that police had that he had concerns over the potential for anti-social behaviour if the proposal was to go ahead.

At yesterday's meeting, planning officers from the council said that while they appreciated it was a 'sensitive' issue, the proposal was 'not contrary to planning policy', and therefore recommended an approval be issued for the plans.

During the meeting, a number of councillors, including the chair of the committee, the SDLP's John Boyle, raised concerns over the proposal.

Cllr Boyle added that a significant number of objections had been received against the application.

His party colleague Gus Hastings proposed that council do not accept the recommendation to approve, which was seconded by Sinn Fein's Christopher Jackson.

See Monday's Derry News for more