Arnold Clark motorstore responds to angry residents complaints over lighting

Arnold Clark, who are based at Calder Park near the junction between the A636 and the M1, said they'd had their motorstore illuminated after dark to "prevent break-ins" after a series of crimes at the site.

The chairman of Crigglestone Parish Council, Peter Daniels, told a public meeting last week that residents had complained about the brightness of the lights for two years, but were being ignored by planning enforcement teams over the issue.

Speaking at a town and parish council liaison group meeting, he suggested the company was "getting away with murder", and added that the area had lost a footpath as Arnold Clark had removed it to create extra spaces for its cars

In a statement responding to Mr Daniels' claims, Arnold Clark said: "As a UK wide, family owned business, it’s imperative to us that any impact we have on our local communities is always a positive one.

"With that in mind, our estates department has investigated alternative options to the current lighting arrangement at our Wakefield site.

"Recently, our lights have been in use overnight to help prevent break-ins that the branch has unfortunately suffered. We do, however, intend to switch off half of our current external light supply to help reduce any effect on nearby residents.

"As with any Arnold Clark development, the plans for our Wakefield dealership were agreed in partnership with the local council.

"However, we are aware of plans in place to re-route the original path around our existing site."

Local Democracy Reporting Service