Loading and Unloading in Taxi Rank?

[MustBeAWeasly]

I'm hoping someone on here will know because I'm at a bit of a loss googling.
I run a workshop type business which involves quite a lot of kit in my car, on Fridays I hire a room in a local council building to do this.
There is a carpark around the back but it's a very long walk with this kit and its three trips for me to get it into the building. I've been stopping in the loading bay outside, the sign just says 'Loading only' so nothing like goods vehicles only or time restrictions.

There's space for about 6 cars on either side but it's ALWAYS full of people parked there while they do their shopping or have lunch, the last few weeks I've politely asked them to move and I've been shouted at sworn at told to bugger off. They've all actually moved in the end but today no one had moved the building needed the room so I've pulled up in the taxi rank as someone had told me the law has changed recently so anyone loading and unloading can stop but then must move on.

Anyway as I was leaving a taxi driver went absolutely mad shouting and swearing telling me I couldn't stop in the taxi rank wasn't even allowed to park in the loading bay 'Learn the different between commercial use and being too tired to carry the shopping sweetheart'

It didn't matter that the guy in the van parked in the loading by came by at that moment with his lunch...

So. Can I stop in a taxi rank to unload and should I even be using the loading bay?

I believe that you shouldn't stop in the taxi rank unless you are a taxi - but I thought that loading is OK as long as you are literally loading and unloading. At least, the traffic wardens round here are fierce, and they don't ticket cars when obviously in the process of unloading (not shopping - big stuff) though they do ticket people stopped there not loading /unloading

You cannot load or unload in a taxi rank or a bus stop.

Can you get some sort of trolley to carry the stuff in one go? Seems a lot of faff lugging stuff back and forth for one day

You're not able to use the taxi rank, no. Driver was a patronising arse.

Get a fold up trolley? I have one for my work equipment when my back plays up.

Taxi driver was probably right that you should be there. But you are using the loading bay for commercial purposes surely? So tell him to bog off on that account.
If it makes you feel better make a laminated “(un)-Loading” sign with your company logo to put on your dashboard.

I fully appreciate it if I shouldn't have been in the taxi rank. I have a friend who is a bus driver and he told me the law has recently changed so you can unload in them I just wasn't sure how much truth was in it and wondered if anyone knew.

It's just so frustrating that all these people can park on the double yellows and in the loading bays week after week and nothing happens to them but I'm being shouted at every week for genuinely trying to unload for business.
And why give me shit but not the man in the van who was just getting lunch!

I can look into a trolly but the path isn't very smooth at all so it's still going to be a bit of a mission. I think I'll have to find somewhere else.

Most trolleys can cope with a path that's not smooth, but maybe you'd prefer something like this: oypla.com/garden/garden-tools-equipment/black-heavy-duty-foldable-garden-trolley-cart-wagon-truck?gclid=Cj0KCQiAnNXiBRCoARIsAJe_1cpuBC77wG21Czwb9X1ubsgeyK_GvgNBVLtWCY2E5O3Vc-pQEoK9kTMaAg-fEALw_wcB

It depends on what you need to carry I suppose.