Flats plans for former Wellington pub site get the go ahead despite parking row
Plans for flats at a the site of a former pub have scraped though to receive permission - despite a row over a lack of parking.
The green light has been given to proposals for 18 apartments on land where The Haygate pub used to be in Haygate Road, Wellington.
The flats will be a mix of one and two-bedroom dwellings, with a parking space for each apartment.
Telford & Wrekin Council's planning committee discussed the proposals, and several councillors raised the issue of parking, believing that 18 would not be enough if you take into account visitors - and the fact more than one car owner might live at some of the dwellings. They argued that on-road parking provision is poor in an area fraught with traffic problems.
Councillor Jim Loveridge said: "I'm not happy with the amount of car park spaces. I feel we need more parking spaces there."
Newport councillor Peter Scott also raised concerns, asking if this was "the final word" on how many spaces could be created for the development.
Committee vice-chair, Councillor Gemma Offland, said she was worried about trees being removed and not replaced.
The Local Highways Authority submitted an objection to the proposals on the grounds that the car parking provided within the site is not commensurate with adopted standards for Central Areas.
It said: "There is a shortfall of seven spaces and under the allocated arrangement proposed this is considered to be significant enough to not be offset by the adjudged sustainable location.
"The applicant has submitted some technical justification for the reduced parking provision and there is some merit in the case made but concern still remains that under an allocated arrangement, visitor parking is likely to be displaced onto adjacent roads, where on street parking is already at a premium; especially in evenings and at weekends."
The committee voted four to three in favour of granting full planning permission. One councillor abstained from the vote.
The Haygate pub was demolished in 2019. The venue was a place for aspiring performers from across Telford to cut their teeth for over 15 years, but after the proprietors moved to France in 2018, the venue lay dormant.
