THE owner of a 60-year-old haulage firm fears plans to build 33 homes on Settle's Industrial Estate will blitz his business.

Mike Warren, of BM and SL Warren Haulage, believes mixing industrial and residential use on the Sowarth estate would be disastrous as future occupiers of the homes would object to the day to day running of businesses and heavy wagons on their doorstep.

The company employs seven people, and he says these jobs could be at risk if the plans are given the go ahead.

Mr Warren told the Herald: "We leave at two and three in the morning - we have to leave at certain times and we also do vehicle repairs during the day.

"We did a survey of our movements in the early hours and over the last 12 months we have left more than 1,200 times between 12am and 6am

"We moved out of Stainforth seven years ago for this same reason. New houses were built nearby and we decided to move to an industrial estate where we wouldn't be a problem to anybody. We honestly think this will put us out of business."

The plans, submitted by mill owners John Roberts and Sons, would secure the future of King's Mill, a Grade II Listed Building, by turning it into 19 flats, converting two other buildings into houses and building the 33 new homes on land formerly occupied by Ribblesdale Motors.

A similar planning application was turned down by Craven planners last year as they agreed there would be a conflict between residents and the industrial operations of the estate.

However, now the applicants have changed the layout of the houses and altered the proposed access arrangements. Settle Town Council has backed the application and Craven planners are expected to discuss the proposal on June 26.

Mr Warren, whose company has five HGVs operating nationwide, said: "We are very concerned that they are trying to do much more than just restore the original mill buildings.

"They want to use part of the existing industrial estate which has utilised buildings. If they turn industrial buildings into houses anyone else could as well."

John Roberts and Sons originally wanted to demolish the derelict 166-year-old mill and build a purpose built unit to improve its work operations.

However following a public inquiry the then Secretary of State for the Environment, John Gummer, decided the mill should remain standing.

Owners John Roberts and Sons declined to comment on the issue.

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