200 homes on Shrewsbury's Copthorne Barracks will 'generate less traffic', say developers

Transport consultants working for the Ministry of Defence have submitted a report looking to address concerns raised by Shropshire Council over proposals to redevelop Copthorne Barracks, Shrewsbury.

The report says: "Savoy Consulting has supplied Shropshire Council with a note on the traffic generation from the application site in the recent past. This note has demonstrated that the traffic impact on Frankwell island will be less from a residential development than the previous employment uses on the site."

"In any event the deterioration of the operation of Frankwell Island is primarily due to background traffic growth as has been accepted by Mouchel (Shropshire Council transport consultants)."

The plans to develop the barracks were also criticised over a proposed access off The Mount through Barracks Lane. An initial council response earlier this month said the plans for the junction would make it difficult for motorists to see towards the west.

The council report stated: "This proposal appears to recognise the deficiencies in the current junction arrangements and is suggested as an improvement, however, the current design is unclear and it is considered that the new road and junction shown would still have restricted visibility to the west without further alterations to the frontage of No 59 The Mount, which is currently outside of the application site boundary."

However, the MoD has now submitted amendments for the access, which will be used by people going to and from retirement homes planned for the site, which Savoy Consulting says are acceptable.

The MoD consultants have also concluded that just over half of the people living in the Copthorne area use a car to travel to and from work.

The Savoy Consulting report states: "It is also important to remember that from the analysis carried out for the travel plan, it was shown only 56 per cent of residents in the Copthorne area of Shrewsbury use a private car or van to travel to work. This compares to a more general figure of between 70 to 75 per cent of people in Shropshire who travel to work using a car or van."

Estimates show that if the development goes ahead there would be 124 cars going in and out of the site in the morning and 133 in the afternoon.

The MoD has submitted an application to build 174 houses and 45 retirement units on the site.

Under the proposal The Keep will also be converted into nine residential apartments.