Rigg Tech Ltd

If you've ever winced at the growl of an early-morning lorry outside your bedroom window, you'll know how a single wagon can tilt the mood of a whole street. That low rumble is the sound Rigg Tech Ltd wants to make more regular, and neighbours around their planned operating centre now have three short weeks to decide whether the extra traffic feels like progress or pressure.

The firm has applied to the Traffic Commissioner for permission to run more heavy goods vehicles from a base somewhere in Oldham. Exactly where isn't spelled out in the notice, but the law says anyone whose sleep, driveway, school-run or garden peace might suffer can have their say. Written objections must land at Quarry House in Leeds within 21 days, and a copy has to reach Rigg Tech itself at the same time.

It's a small-print moment that could reshape daily life. One extra HGV an hour can mean the difference between a child cycling to school or a parent deciding the road's too chancy. Residents who remember the old cement trucks rattling past Victorian terraces know these decisions linger for decades.

The government's online guide promises plain English, but the clock is the blunt bit: miss the deadline and your worries are filed away unheard. No one knows yet how many letters are brewing on kitchen tables, or whether Rigg Tech will modify plans if objections pile up. For now, the only sound is the ticking of those 21 days.