A SMALL business owner has hit out at the borough council after being told he must stop working from his Basingstoke home because he does not meet guidelines for a cycle rack or car parking.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council bosses ruled that Duncan Jones must stop running his mail-order lighting product business from his home in Chatsworth Green, Hatch Warren.

Now Mr Jones, a father-of-two, faces having to rent an office elsewhere for his business, at a cost of thousands of pounds per year.

The 49-year-old said: “I just want common-sense to prevail and this is so frustrating. I could understand if these were legitimate concerns but they’re not. Why do I need a cycle rack or more parking spaces if I’m the only employee? It’s just regulations.

“I’ve always wanted my own business. I built it up over three years and this just feels like a kick in the teeth from the council.”

Mr Jones has grown the internet business, called Fast Light Limited, over three-and-a-half years but was alerted by a borough officer that he would need planning permission following a complaint from a neighbour over the amount of vehicle movements.

Mr Jones says 90 per cent of his deliveries are made direct from suppliers and not from his home.

At a borough council development control committee, members ruled an application by Mr Jones to change the use of his property from residential to mixed residential-and-commercial would bre-ach regulations.

They said that to be in line with the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Local Plan, the operation must have bicycle storage, five car parking spaces and fewer vehicle movements to and from the property.

Hatch Warren and Beggarwood ward member Councillor Phil Heath spoke at the committee in support of Mr Jones.

He told councillors: “There are many people who work from home, and many of us councillors probably receive more deliveries than this gentleman.

“If we’re going to stop small businesses starting in homes by imposing restrictions, then we’re going to stop a lot of the business in town.”

But committee member Cllr Ken Rhatigan countered: “There’s plenty of adequate business space in Basingstoke, and I fear this would set a precedent.

“If all the houses on the Chatsworth Green were to do the same thing, we would have huge problems.”

Members agreed that Mr Jones had six months to comply with the order to cease operating from home. He has been warned that if he fails to do so, then enforcement action will be taken.