AN illegal scrap yard and truck workshop in Malvern has made many Malvern residents surrounding the property flee their properties during the day as a result of noise disturbance.
At the beginning of 2014, the owner of the property set up a lease agreement with the unnamed business owners. The business, believed to be run illegally on a property that has not been rezoned for business use, is run from a property between 22 and 24 Main Road in Malvern.
Residents in the area said it is believed the owner of the property agreed to rent the property to the business owners, provided they didn’t disturb other residents. But some residents, many of them pensioners who did not want to be named, said the noise has gotten so bad that they choose to flee their homes during the day.
Another resident, who works night shifts, said it was impossible to get any rest in during the day as workers strip, hammer, weld and work on trucks seven days a week, from 7am to 7.30pm. They also questioned whether it was a sanitary environment to work in, as there are no ablution facilities available on the property.
Local councillor, André Mitchell, said this property was referred to in a recent west central liaison forum meeting, adding that council has had problems with the property for months.
“I have liaised with town planning, estates and enforcement departments, and suggest that if this alleged illegal business is run on this property, the required rates penalty notice be immediately submitted,” Mitchell said.
eThekwini Municipality did not comment.
