New lane plans for Shrewsbury's Meole Brace Retail Park entrance

The application will create a third exit lane on the approach to the roundabout on Hereford Road.

An earlier proposal for the same plan was approved by Shropshire Council but a second application is required because more land will be needed to create the lane.

It comes as the owners of Shrewsbury's Darwin and Pride Hill shopping centres, UKCPT, reiterated their opposition to plans to build a new sports direct store at the retail park. Sports Direct's old store will be taken over by Outfit.

The new store would be built in the corner of the retail park between Argos and TK Maxx. The land had been suggested as the only way of creating a second entrance onto the site.

UKCPT have echoed comments from a council highways official earlier this year in claiming that the development will close off the best opportunity for the second entrance off Oteley Road.

A letter from Nick Pleasant of NJL Consulting on behalf of the retail park owners says the new left-turn exit lane onto Hereford Road would improve traffic flow at the site.

It states: "As agreed with officers through the previous planning permission, a third lane to the existing spur will improve highways network efficiency in this location.

"There are currently two westbound lanes exiting the retail park onto Hereford road at approximately 3.5m lane width each. Intermittent queuing and congestion takes place, at peak times, at locations within the car park, and on the retail park exit. An additional left turn lane at 3.5, wide is proposed to provide greater capacity and general betterment for vehicles exiting the retail park, allowing the existing two lanes to convey right turning traffic. In turn this will improve the overall flow of traffic around the park."

The work to create a new exit lane is alongside plans included with the Sports Direct application to remove a pedestrian crossing, two speed bumps, and to make an exit only access from Sainsbury's onto a retail park roundabout two-way.

However, UKCPT, have voiced their opposition to the proposal for the store and the highways changes.

A letter from the organisation states: "It also appears that the proposals continue to sterilise any future opportunity to bring an access in directly from Oteley Road, which would take pressure off the Meole Brace Roundabout."

The organisation has also reiterated its claim that the creation of the new store would harm Shrewsbury's town centre.

It stated: "We remain significantly concerned about the retail elements of the proposals.

"UKCPT maintains that existing space exists in Shrewsbury town centre to accommodate the proposed floorspace. Claims by the applicant that Sports Direct might consider a town centre offer are refuted by UKSPT because of the scale of the unit, which is proposed at Meole Brace. UKCPT does not consider Shrewsbury's catchment to provide the critical mass to support two Sports Direct units when one is of the scale proposed in the application."