A NUISANCE car repair firm which made residents lives a misery in Halesowen has been ordered to shut down.
Guru Midland Motors on Vicarage Road had been operating without planning permission on the residential street.
Owner Harjit Singh appealed against a notice served by Dudley Council which ordered him to stop operating - but his appeal has been thrown out by the planning inspector.
The inspector has backed the council and upheld its enforcement notice, ordering Mr Singh to stop trading and clear the site by February 12.
The unit used to be a storage facility for the charity Loaves n Fishes.
Councillor Hilary Bills said the repair firm "caused a lot of upset to the residents in the road owing to the extra vehicles being stored on the road, late night deliveries of vehicles, noise, smell, working after hours and poor maintenance of the yard which was a blot on the landscape."
She added that it was "great news that the inspector has agreed with the report from Dudley Council and the many eyewitness accounts from the residents and supporting letters from myself and councillor Sahota and dismissed the appeal."
Cllr Bills said: “I want to congratulate the residents of Vicarage Road on this great victory.
"They worked together and have achieved a great result.”
Cllr Sahota said: “I hope Mr Singh takes immediate action and ceases to trade in this way.
"This will allow Vicarage Road to return to normality as a quiet residential road, where residents get along well together."
The decision means that Mr Singh must stop using the land for the repair and maintenance of vehicles and remove all vehicles, vehicle parts, machinery, rubble, equipment and debris.
A report to the planning inspector by Dudley Council notes that "The Local Planning Authority (LPA) raised concerns relating to the use on the site at the end of 2019.
"Despite several attempts at contacting the owner, no planning application was ever submitted for consideration by the LPA and the use is still in operation.
"The appellant claims that he was unable to contact the Local Authority during the Covid-19 climate, however contact by post and via phone remained available and applications have been received and registered during this time with minimal delay."
Cllr Bills said one resident put together a comprehensive report for the inspector.
When the News called the firm there was no answer and messages could not be left.
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