New food unit rejected again at Shrewsbury retail park

Coal Pension Properties LTD applied to Shropshire Council for permission in November 2017 to build a new outlet on land between the car park of Pizza Hut and the neighbouring McDonald’s unit on Meole Brace Retail Park.

Last August members of the council’s planning committee turned down the application which would have seen the building of a unit, potentially Costa Coffee, with a drive-through, a parking area and landscaping. Coal Pension Properties Ltd appealed against the decision but has now learned it has been unsuccessful.

A member of the government’s planning inspectorate visited the site in February and found that the main concerns regarding the development centred on highway and pedestrian safety.

Shropshire Council raised concerns regarding the movement of delivery vehicles and the reduction of car parking spaces to allow for the erection of the drive-through.

A diagram supplied by the applicants showed that delivery lorries would infringe on parking spaces at the front of the unit and that those vehicles would need to cross part of the pedestrian access to the site, in order to exit.

Cramped

The inspector said: “I consider this potentially harmful to vehicle and pedestrian safety within the site, and that it is evident that the site is cramped for the scale and type of use proposed.

“The appellants have indicated that their delivery procedures involve drivers phoning through before attempting to access the site, and then only at non-peak times.

“This may well be the case, although it does not indicate where or for how long such vehicles would wait for clear access, should there be any obstruction.

“Furthermore, such internal company procedures could not be readily controlled by planning condition.

“In addition, the Highway Authority has noted that the unit could, in the future become another drive-through establishment, within the A1/A3 use class, which could have a significantly different transport model.

“I concur with this view, and this has potentially detrimental implications for the implementation of future delivery procedures.”

In conclusion, the inspector said: “From the information before me, I find that the limited car parking provision would be likely to result in further conflict between users of the new unit and users of other units in the vicinity.”