Plans for Shrewsbury retail park with KFC and Starbucks deferred over traffic concerns
Plans for a gym, KFC, Starbucks and a care home on a former pitch and putt in Shrewsbury have been deferred over concerns about traffic.
The proposal, for the former Shropshire Council site off Oteley Road, was discussed at Tuesday's meeting of the authority's Northern Planning Committee.
Several committee members raised concerns over the impact the development would have on traffic in the area, with two new entrances to be added to Oteley Road, as well as an exit onto Hazledine Way.
They said the area already suffered from backed up traffic at the nearby Meole Brace Retail Park, with members saying queues for McDonald's frequently caused chaos on the surrounding roads.
This came despite the application's case officer Kelvin Hall saying that the entrance and exit to the site did not "raise adverse highway safety concerns", and that the council's roads department agreed that the proposal could be "adequately accommodated on the highway network".
Other concerns behind the deferral, proposed by committee member Garry Burchett, included questions over whether the usage of the pitch & putt had declined, and about active travel links for people in the area.
The proposal, from Cordwell Leisure Developments and Avery Healthcare, includes a gym, drive-thru Starbucks, drive-thru KFC and a tanning and beauty salon, as well as a residential care home for dementia patients.
The entrance for the retail site would be off Oteley Road, with the exit onto Hazledine Way, while the entrance and the exit for the care home would be off a separate access on Oteley Road.
Councillor Ted Clarke, who represents Bayston Hill, Column and Sutton, outlined his concerns.
He said: "I have no issue with the design or aesthetics of the plans. I do have a major issue about the impact of increased traffic on the very busy Meole Brace Island, which is already on frequent occasions crammed with fast-food traffic which is travelling to McDonald's on the adjacent retail park.
"I do think additional fast-food traffic so close to Meole from this other direction would cause all sorts of issues over the longer term.
"There will be serious problems relating to Meole Island if and when this application is put through."
Councillor Burchett said: "I have concerns about the traffic situation at this roundabout, on Saturday as the traffic is backed up Hazeldine Way for two to three hours in a row."
Meanwhile, Councillor Duncan Kerr added: "This, because of the dynamics, the way the roads flow around it, will make things significantly worse."
Councillor Geoff Elner said: "I do disagree with highways officers. I do think it will generate traffic and it will affect the current retail sites."
Another committee member, Councillor Mike Isherwood, said he believed there was too much planned for the site.
He said: "It seems to me over-development, there seems to be a lot crammed into what is not a very big site."
Councillor Joyce Barrow agreed the plan should be deferred but said there was a definite need for the type of care home being proposed.
The meeting had also heard from David Kilby of Shropshire Playing Fields Association, who said it was not acceptable to take away a recreational facility for young people to replace it with fast food, a coffee shop and a tanning salon.
He said: "A considerable sum of money should be set aside by the land owner to replace it with an equivalent facility in Shropshire."
Members voted unanimously for the application to be deferred pending an examination of the points raised by Councillor Burchett.
