THE end of a long-running wrangle between a successful importing business and its elderly residential neighbours could be in sight.

John and Valerie Heath of Manhattan House have long complained about noise from Merlo (UK) Ltd's premises at Headlands Business Park, Blashford, Ringwood.

Their complaints landed New Forest District Council with a compensation bill of £1,750 in 2004 after Local Government Ombudsman Jerry White found the council had failed to investigate their moans about their noisy neighbours at Merlo.

That led to the council issuing an enforcement notice giving the company, which imports Italian-made lifting machinery for agriculture and industry, six months to stop using its depot.

Managing director John Iles successfully appealed against the enforcement action, on the proviso that a three metre-plus tall sound insulation barrier was built between the business and Manhattan House.

Mr Iles said he had offered to put up a sound insulation wall both at the planning stage in 1996 and then again after the Ombudsman's report.

In the summer of 2005 a 4.2 metre tall fence had been built of layered 22mm thick vertical boards covered with feather edge boarding.

Now the district council has given planning permission to Merlo for a sound-proof cladding to be applied to the fence.

The cladding to be applied is a cement-bonded particle board with good sound insulating properties.

In addition, to help minimise noise reflected off the fence from the nearby A338 road, 50mm thick mineral wool slabs will be attached to the middle section.

Mrs Heath said the wooden fence had not worked very well.

"It's all coming apart from the framework and the framework is all twisting as well," she said.

"We just don't know what to do because we just don't think that it's safe just sticking this stuff on on something that's falling apart now."