23 April 2024
Last week, Green Cllr Tim Hamilton-Cox represented local residents’ highway safety concerns at a planning appeal hearing.
The planning inspector was hearing the developer’s appeal against the planning committee’s unanimous refusal in June 2023 of an application to build up to 70 homes at the ‘Canal Bank stables’ site. The proposed development is on the east side of Lancaster Canal, north of Deep Cutting. Many residents had made submissions which expressed their dismay at the impact on the landscape and this had formed the first reason for refusal. The planning committee had identified highways’ impact as a second reason for refusal.
A number of residents commented at the appeal on both the impact on local landscape and nature, and the traffic impacts of the proposal. Former Scotforth West councillor Tim Dant made very robust contributions in the hearing to support residents’ concerns, and to amplify the case made by council’s landscape expert.
Cllr Hamilton-Cox says:
“I focussed on the highways impact – especially with respect to even more traffic using Ashford Rd and Piccadilly. As a result, the inspector decided to make a walking visit to view the issues for himself on the evening of the day-long hearing.
“Although the planning committee had given highways’ impact as a second reason for refusal, the council team could not sustain this objection at the hearing because County Highways officers were not themselves supportive. County Highways stuck to its line that the Ashford Rd bottleneck was ‘not prohibitive’ of additional development and that the impact could be mitigated. Highways officers say detailed design work would be undertaken to identify how; including how to prevent Piccadilly becoming (more of) a rat-run.
“But it is clear that County Highways did not have worked-up ideas to present to the hearing. I hope – backed by his own observations - that the inspector will listen to residents’ road safety concerns and uphold the original decision of the council.”
The inspector’s decision on whether to confirm or overturn the original refusal decision is expected in weeks rather than months.
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