A new vehicular access point directly off Hatchet Road could soon be created into the site of the former Co-operative food store near Parkway Station after a planning inspector allowed an appeal against a council committee’s decision to refuse permission.
In refusing the application (in February 2021), councillors on South Gloucestershire Council’s Development Management Committee went against the advice of the council’s officers, who had recommended approval.
Councillors claimed the proposal would result in a “severe highway impact” and expressed concerns relating to “visibility, traffic flows and pedestrian safety”. They also said it might lead to motorists using the site’s car park as a short cut between Hatchet Lane and Hatchet Road.
The applicant, Danolly Limited, submitted an appeal against the decision in June 2021, saying that the grounds for refusal were “not justified with any evidence”.
In a three-page appeal decision published today (23rd February 2022), government-appointed planning inspector Tamsin Law rejects all the council’s grounds for refusal and grants permission.
Details of the inspector’s reasoning and feedback from interested parties will appear in an article planned for our March/April magazine., delivered 19th/20th March.
More information and related links:
- Planning application P20/21170/F (SGC)
- Map showing location of proposed new junction (The Journal)
- All previous articles about this planning application (The Journal)
- Appeal APP/P0119/W/21/3276281 (Planning Inspectorate)
- Appeal inspector’s report [PDF]
Disgusting that it can be overuled when when council has rejected it. Obviously not aware of the volume of children and the death of a pedestrian metres away from this new junction. This is an accident waiting to happen, shame that this will not be reviewed until someone else loses their life on this stretch of road.
Discussion about this article on the Stoke Gifford Journal’s Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/StokeGiffordJournal/posts/5267689506609507
This is an absurd decision. The yellow box will be ignored, much like the others in the area. Will the Council work to actually enforce the 20mph speed limit on this stretch of road in future? That seems the only way to mitigate the risks that this access point will cause.